When Two Times Meet
by Malaysian Gal
Summary: The teenage Marauders are stuck in Harry's time. With help from the trio, and some old and new friends they meet on the way, can they get back before Harry disappears forever? A tale of adventure with a few drops of romance and a few helpings of humour.
1. Meeting the Past

"Come back here, you ferret!"

Harry, Ron and Hermione were chasing Draco Malfoy through a deserted corridor after a balloon filled with red paint 'accidentally' slipped from his hands and burst on the trio.

The bronze torches of fire flickered as they ran past, casting an eerie shadow on the walls. Four longs shadows, stretched rushed across marble tiled floors and stone walls. Spells and jinxes were flying everywhere, all of which, ricocheted off the walls and missed all four of them.

"Hey, Weasley! My grandmother could run faster than you," sneered Draco as he ran.

"Shut up, Malfoy," Ron yelled as a jet of red light flashed from Harry's wand.

As Malfoy jumped over something invisible that seemed to be lying on the floor, he laughed and said, "Hey, Weasel-bee, watch your step."

"What does he-" Ron said but was cut short as all three of them tripped over a rope on the floor. They gave a 'whoa' as Harry and Hermione bounced off the floor and landed on their sides. Ron, on the other hand, did a butt walk and tumbled to sitting position. "Ouch," Harry said, rubbing his head which bore his trademark messy jet black hair. Draco Malfoy ran around the corner laughing, not bothering to look back. They saw, holding on to the other end of the rope, was none other than Peeves the school poltergeist.

"Potty and friends fell! Anyway, you lot should be in your beddy-bye by now," he said gleefully with a cackle and flew away.

"That little-" Harry began, his tone, angry. But his sentence stopped abruptly as a bright, white light appeared right in front of them.

"Uhh, guys," Ron said. "I don't know about you, but I don't think that's supposed to happen."

"Me neither," Hermione added in an intrigued undertone.

The light began to take the shape of four seemingly rectangular objects. There was a small explosion of light as the torches dies out. The light grew bright. Too bright. Harry, Ron and Hermione shielded their eyes with their arms and looked away. Another explosion rang and the light died down. Three teenage boys and a girl soon became visible. The newcomers, except for the girl, seemed completely surprised.

After awhile, they noticed each other's presence. There was a moment of silence as both groups stared at each other.

One of the boys stepped forward, helped Harry up to his feet and began to speak, "Hello there, I'm James Potter. This is Remus Lupin, Sirius Black and Lily Evans."

"I'm Ron, this is Harry and Hermione," said Ron scrambling to his feet and helping Hermione. "And we don't usually cover ourselves with red paint," he said with a nervous laugh. Too nervous that it sounded hollow.

Sirius snickered, took out his wand and flicked it. The red paint disappeared.

"As I was saying-" began James but was interrupted by Lily. "What year is this?" she asked, pushing James away. James stumbled, and started to fall, but was caught by Sirius. "Watch you step mate," Ron heard him mutter.

"Nineteen…nineteen…nineteen," stuttered Harry amazed to see the younger versions of his father, mother, godfather and former teacher.

"Nineteen nineteen nineteen?" asked James confused. "Did we go that far into the future?"

"I don't think we did, mate," said Sirius. "And I don't think there's such thing as the year nineteen nineteen nineteen." He added in a deep thought voice.

"It's nineteen ninety seven," Hermione corrected them.

"So, we didn't get that far, after all," said James half relieved, half disappointed.

"Of course we didn't," said Remus. "Hogwarts would probably be gone by the year nineteen nineteen nineteen."

"Don't have much hope for Hogwarts, don't you?" Sirius muttered sarcastically.

"Anyway, it is your fault that we're here, Potter," said Lily turning to James, who took a few steps back.

"My fault?" said James, raising an arm to his chest, as though he found the idea absurd. "I do not see how this is my fault. Anyway, it was your Time Turner." It was Lily's turn to take a step back.

"Yes, it was my Time Turner, but it was your fault we're here in this time," Lily retorted.

"You were the one who dropped it," said James.

"Because you tried to grab it and restart the day for fun," said Lily.

"I wanted another chance to ask you out," said James.

"I've said it once and I'll say it again, I would never go out with you if I had to choose between you and a mountain troll," Lily burst out.

"Bad luck, mate," Sirius said, leaning against a nearby wall.

"Come on, Evans," said James. "Get your hopes up. This is the future, one of these could be our kid," said James motioning to Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"Yeah, right, keep on dreaming," Lily said, crossing her arm and turning away from the group.

"Come to think of it," said Remus loudly. "That one looks a lot like you, James," he said looking at Harry.

"He kind of does," said James looking at Harry more closely. They were of the same height, had the same messy, black hair, same face with glasses and wore the same house robes. To the both of them, it was as though looking into a mirror but with a few minor errors.

"His eyes are different from mine," said James looking at Harry's eyes. "His eyes are green," he said thoughtfully. "Lily's eyes are green," he added, with a grin, now looking at Lily. Lily adverted her eyes to the group.

"Don't get any ideas, Potter," Lily said warningly.

"What did you say your name was?" asked James, now looking back at Harry.

"Harry," Harry said looking at James.

"Harry, what?" James asked eagerly.

"Harry Potter," said Harry now looking at Lily.

"I knew it!" said Sirius.

"What is your mother's name?" James asked looking at Harry with much interest. "Maiden name, please," he added now smiling.

Lily looked at Harry as though begging him not to say her name but she also looked determined that it isn't her. "Lily Evans," Harry said.

Lily's jaw dropped. James turned around and looked at Lily triumphantly.

"It looks like this is our kid, Evans," said James. "Or should I say, Honey?" he added which earned him a tight slap.

"Ouch, that's gotta hurt," muttered Remus.

"You can't be serious," said Lily ignoring Remus and now looking at Harry as though he had played a very un-funny joke.

"No, actually I am," said Sirius stepping forward. Ron stifled a snicker.

"I'm serious," said Harry now smiling at Lily's shocked face.

"I thought I made it clear that I am Sirius," said Sirius also smiling while looking from Harry, to James, to Lily and back again. The snickers from Ron grew louder.

"This is not the time for jokes, Black," said Lily still looking at Harry with disbelief. "I will be married to this dummy in the future?" asked Lily in disbelief motioning to James who was smiling broadly. Harry nodded and Lily groaned.

"Anyway," said Hermione suddenly as she looked at her wristwatch. "It's thirty minutes past eleven," she said, but when everyone seemed clueless about what she trying to point out, she sighed. "We're out past our curfew. Way past our curfew," she added. "We need to get to the common room, if Filch catches us, we're dead."

"What are we waiting for?" said Lily frantically. "Let's go, go, go."


	2. New and Old Discoveries

**(A/N: Thank you for reading my past chapter. Please review after you read this one. I know today's chapter is shorter, sorry. I'll probably update every two days or daily. Yes, I do not have anything else better to do. This one contains some mild foul language, I am sorry again. I just thought that a group of seventeen year olds can be that clean. Happy reading! -)**

"Hold on, Lily," said James. He took out a piece of parchment, tapped it with his wand and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

At once, ink lines began to spread like a spider's web from the point that James's wand had touched. They joined each other, they criss-crossed, they fanned into every corner of the parchment; then words began to blossom across the top, great, curly green words. Harry could read familiar words. "Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers, are proud to present, The Marauder's Map," he muttered. James smiled at him, unfolded the parchment and scanned each page. Suddenly, his eyes stopped and widened.

"The caretaker's name is Argus Filch, right?" James asked nervously.

When Harry, Ron and Hermione nodded, he said frantically, "Oh shit, he's coming this way with someone named Mrs. Norris," he paused. "Who the hell is Mrs. Norris, anyway?"

"It's his cat's name," said Ron.

"Oh, God, poor guy," Sirius said shaking his head sympathetically. Everyone looked at him with an expression of confusion on each face. "He married his own cat? He's that desperate?" Sirius said and laughed.

Everyone laughed hysterically, tears coming to their eyes. Suddenly, all of them stopped abruptly as they heard loud footsteps coming their way. "What's that sound, Mrs. Norris? Laughter? That could only mean one thing, students out past curfew," they heard a hoarse voice say. "Maybe Professor McGonagall will let me use the whip this time," the voice said eagerly as the pace of the footsteps became faster.

"Oh, shit," said James. "Mischief managed. Let's go, now!"

They ran as fast as they could as they heard the voice say again, "Oi! Students out past curfew! Stop!" But they didn't stop; they ran for their lives, Filch came running after them. "When I get my hands on you, you'll be sorry! You all will!" he bellowed at the top of his voice.

Filch almost grabbed Lily's hair but James pushed her out of the way and took out a bottle. He opened it and spilled its contents on the floor behind them. As they turned a corner, they heard Filch screaming and a loud thump which signalled that he had fell. A cat yelped and slid across the corridor, colliding with a suit of armour with a loud "GONG!" that echoed through the hallways.

All of them started laughing but not daring to look back. They ran towards the Gryffindor common room. They stopped at the entrance, all looking out of breath and panting loudly. The Fat Lady woke up with a start as Ron, who was trying to catch up, slipped and collided with the portrait. "Goodness," she said surprised and looked at all of them. Before she could ask for the password, Hermione had already gasped, "Divination." The portrait swung open and they walked into the empty common room.

Lily looked around, smiling. "It hasn't changed a bit," she said.

"If we're staying here for the night, where will we sleep?" asked Remus.

James sniggered and looked at Lily. "I didn't mean it that way, James," said Remus. Lily, who understood what James had meant, slapped him, hard. "Ouch," muttered Sirius as the cheek Lily had slapped turned bright red.

"Two slaps in less that an hour," James said rubbing his cheek. "That's a James Potter record."

"Harry and I are the Head Boy and Girl," said Hermione ignoring what had just happened. "Lily can sleep with me in my room and James, Sirius and Remus can sleep with Harry in his room. Ron will sleep in his usual dormitory."

"G'night," Ron said as he kissed Hermione on the cheek. "Night, Ron," said all of them in unison as he walked into the boy's dormitory. Hermione and Lily walked towards her room while James, Remus and Sirius followed Harry.

"I'll be sleeping in my old room," said Remus happily, stretching his arms and yawning. Before Harry think about what Remus had said, he found himself standing in front of a large portrait of a lion.

"Brave heart," said Harry and Remus in unison. They looked at each other in surprise. "I guess the password hasn't changed," said Remus laughing. "I guess so," said Harry as he led them into his room.

They walked into a big room where framed pictures of the past Head Boys covered one side of the wall. Harry noticed a picture which he had not noticed before. It was of Remus, holding up a badge which read, 'Head Boy.' The room was painted a deep shade of red and a four-poster bed was placed in the middle. A walk-in wardrobe and a door to the bathroom were at the right of the bed while a desk and an empty fireplace were at the left of the bed. Harry took out his wand and flicked it, immediately three four-poster beds, similar to Harry's, with a pair of pyjamas on each, appeared at the sides of Harry's bed.

"Well, time for bed," said Sirius jumping onto one of the beds and pulling the hangings around him. James chose the bed closest to Harry's and Remus towards the remaining bed.

Harry walked over to his bed and pulled the hangings. He changed into his pyjamas which were neatly folded on top of his pillow, took off his glasses and put it on his bedside table. He lied down, covered himself with his blanket and bed clothes and said, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," he heard James and Remus say but Sirius didn't reply. Instead he heard loud, pig-like snores coming from Sirius's bed. "Don't mind him, Harry" James said, sleepily, with a laugh and fell asleep.

Harry laughed weakly while questions began flooding into his head. _How can they be here? How is this possible? How are they going to get back? Why isn't Wormtail with them?_ Each time he thought of a question, the more impossible it became for him to answer it. Suddenly, a new question squeezed into his already full mind._ Is tonight a full moon?_

At this point, Harry was reminded of his father, Sirius and their so called friend, Peter Pettigrew, nicknamed Wormtail, were all animagus and Remus was a werewolf ever since he was a boy. Harry's heart skipped a beat. He sat up from his bed so suddenly and loudly that James and Remus woke up with a start while Sirius snorted and continued to snore but more softly.

"What is it, Harry?" asked James groggily from his bed.

"Professor Lupin?" asked Harry before he could stop himself.

"Well, I wouldn't say 'professor'," Remus said from his bed, amused. "But I won't say I'm not smart enough to be one."

"Sorry, it's just in the future, you were a teacher here," said Harry giving a nervous laugh.

"A teacher?" he heard Remus say interestedly. "Was I good?"

"Good? You were brilliant," said Harry. "But you got sacked because most of the school found out that you were a werewolf."

"True," said Remus from his bed. "I am a werewolf."

"Yeah, so, I was wondering, is tonight a full moon?" asked Harry nervously.

"No," said Remus. "Next week's a full moon, though," he said yawning.

"Okay, I'm not worried anymore," said Harry relieved. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," they both said.

They all settled down and before Harry fell asleep, he heard Remus mutter, "Professor R.J. Lupin, it has a nice ring to it." Harry smiled and dozed off.


	3. More Discoveries, Jokes and Some Fun

Harry woke up the next day to find James, Remus and Sirius sitting around his bed, wide awake. "About time you woke up, mate," said Sirius.

Harry got up, made his bed and went into the bathroom. He brushed his teeth, washed his face and found some clothes hanging on a peg. He quickly began to change.

"Let's go down for breakfast," said Harry after he changed but Remus interrupted.

"We can't," he said. "It would look suspicious and anyway, no one would recognise us."

"Then let's use the Invisibility Cloak," said James and Harry in unison.

They both look at each other and smiled. Harry looked into his trunk while James took out a silvery cloak from his pocket.

"Did I give that to you in the future?" asked James curiously looking at the identical silver cloak Harry was currently holding in his hands.

"In a way," said Harry.

"What do you mean?" asked Remus curiously.

"I don't wanna talk about it," said Harry.

"Come on, I'm your father," said James. "In a few years, but I'm still your father," he said.

"Well," began Harry. "You and Lily were murdered when I was a baby. But that's all I'm saying about your future."

James gaped at him. Remus and Sirius's eyes widened. "Who murdered us?" asked James managing to find his tongue. Remus and Sirius looked at each other and at Harry in disbelief.

"Voldemort," said Harry uncomfortably looking at his shoes.

"I've heard of him," said Remus. "He was in the Daily Prophet. He murdered someone's whole family. Anyway, that incident is probably forgotten by now. But poor guy, he was left with not a single family member and he's only eight years old," he added looking grim.

"Then, what happened to you?" asked James curiously. Remus and Sirius's attention were directed back to Harry.

"I'm sorry, but I won't say anymore," said Harry. "You already know too much of your future."

"Aww," said Sirius. "Come on, mate. At least tell us who's going to die. That won't do much damage, won't it?"

"In some way, it will, Sirius," said Harry.

"Come on! Please," begged Sirius.

Harry mumbled something under his breath. "What did you say?" Sirius asked.

"Nothing," said Harry.

"You muttered something"

"When?"

"Just now"

"What did I mutter?"

"That's what we want to know"

Harry paused. "Who are we talking about?"

"Come on, mate, Just tell us," said Sirius widening his eyes and quivering his lip. "Please."

"Okay, okay," said Harry. "Professor Dumbledore is dead but that's all I'm saying."

James, Remus and Sirius remained silent looking at Harry, their mouths gaping. James opened his mouth but closed it. Sirius was looking at James and gave a nervous laugh. There was a long moment of silence which was broken by Hermione walking into the room with Ron who was holding a big tabby cat.

But this wasn't Crookshanks as Harry had suspected. Instead of an enormous ginger coloured cat, a medium-sized cat with reddish brown fur was held by Ron. Ron looked at Harry and said, "Morning."

"Morning said Harry, James, Remus and Sirius all in unison. Hermione looked at all of them. "I hope we're not interrupting anything," she asked. The four of them shook their heads.

"Anyway," said Hermione. "This is Lily." Ron held up the cat. "I Transfigured her to cat. I thought a cat wouldn't draw too much attention," she added. Lily the cat gave a soft mew and jumped from Ron's arms and stood patiently on the floor. Hermione flicked her wand and the cat transformed into Lily Evans.

"So, let's go find Dumbledore and-" Lily said but was interrupted by James. "Dumbledore is gone. Dead," he said grimly.

Lily looked surprised as Ron and Hermione looked at Harry. "You didn't tell them," said Hermione in disbelief.

"I just told them that Dumbledore was going to die," said Harry shrugging. "I thought that wouldn't make too much of a difference."

Ron and Sirius's stomachs gave a big growl. "Sorry," said Sirius and Ron in unison, blushing as everyone looked at them. "Looks like my stomach is angry," said Sirius. "Bad stomach. Stay, stomach, stay." All of them burst out laughing.

"Oh my gosh," said Hermione looking at her wristwatch. Everyone stopped laughing. "We missed breakfast. We are going to be so late for class now! Think about all the points we will loose from Gryffindor because we were late. Oh no. Oh no."

"Hermione," said Ron.

"Oh no. Oh no," said Hermione frantically not paying any attention to Ron. "We are late and to make matters worst, Harry and I are the Head Boy and Girl and Ron and I are prefects. We are going to set a bad example to the first years."

"Hermione," said Ron.

"We will get into so much trouble…" Hermione started a rant about what was going to happen to them for being late, each suspected punishment becoming worst than the last. Her rant lasted about fifteen minutes. "We would probably loose about a thousand points," she said with great finality.

"Done?" asked Ron who was now sitting with Harry on the edge of Harry's bed, resting his head in his hands.

"Yes," said Hermione mildly surprised that Ron wasn't as panicked as he should be. "Pretty much," she added.

"Good," said Ron. "Because I wanted to say, today is a Saturday."

Almost at once, the room filled with laughter and James and Sirius seemed to forget the tragic future. Hermione blushed and started to laugh along with them.

As Sirius's stomach growled again, this time louder, Harry flicked his wand and a table filled with food and seven chairs appeared before them. Harry, Hermione, James, Lily and Remus grinned at each other as Ron and Sirius began stuffing their faces instantly. They joined in and ate the food as Ron and Sirius continued to scarf down the food as though they haven't eaten in days. After everyone was satisfied, Harry made the table and the remains of the breakfast disappeared.

Each of them sat on their chair and rested. "So, what do you want to do today?" asked Ron groggily from his chair.

"Ron, we have to find a way to get them back," said Hermione as she looked at the nodding faces of James, Lily, Sirius and Remus.

"After a few minutes," said Ron. "My stomach is bloated and I am a little tired at the moment." Ron gave a huge belch and everyone laughed.

"Join the club," said Sirius as he belched louder than Ron and all of them laughed harder.

"Okay, after half an hour," said Hermione.

"And in the meantime," said Lily and she flicked her wand. The three beds Harry had conjured last night were replaced by three small tables, on top of the each, there was wizard chess set. "Who's up for wizard chess?" she continued. "I'll keep track of the score."

She conjured up a small table for herself, dragged her chair behind it and put a piece of parchment, a quill and a bottle of ink onto the table. "Round one, First pair, Harry against James. Second pair, Ron against Sirius. Third pair, Hermione against Remus," said Lily clearly while writing on the piece of parchment. The rest of them dragged their chairs to a desired table, sat with their assigned partner and started to play.


	4. Malfoy's Mistake

**(A/N: Ello! This is the next chapter. I'm just going to reply to my reviews.**

**Twin Tails: In this chapter there is going to be a prank. But there's no flying chairs involved. Sorry**

**jehanm: I love the dumb jokes Sirius makes, too!**

**animelover/Hilary: Thanks for reviewing and I'm still writing)**

Harry woke up from a funny dream. At first, he was utterly confused, and then he remembered that he had been halfway through a wizard chess match and had dozed off. Harry looked around at his room, the rest of them were asleep.

Hermione's head was on the table while opposite of her, Remus was softly snoring, his head resting onhis arms. Lily's head, on the other hand,was resting on a few rolls of parchment, the full bottle of inkshe had used earlier was now half full and her right arm hung limply from the table holding a quill loosely. Sirius and Ron were snoring loudly from a nearby table and James was leaning back on the back of his chair, mouth open and glasses, lopsided. All of them looked quite comical.

Harry laughed softly at the funny sight and looked out the window. The sun was setting and it was almost dinner time. At the thought of a delicious dinner in the Great Hall, his stomachrumbled loudly. He remembered that he didn't eat his lunch. The grandfather clock chimed. Harry's attention was instinctively directed to it. The clock's face showed seven o' clock. At the sound of the grandfather clock, the rest of them woke up.

"What time is it?" asked Lily sleepily from her table. She stretched her arms and looked around. She picked up the pieces of parchment and began looking through them. Everyone remained quiet and looked eagerly at her.

"Well," said James. "Who won, Lily?" he asked. Everyone was nodded in agreement as Lily look at the parchment, Lily was softly muttering as she recounted the scores.

"Unbelievable," said Lily looking through the pieces of parchment. "It's a tie!" she said. "Everyone won two games, each. Congrats."

Everyone looked at each and laughed. A murmur of congratulations to each other filled the room. Ron and Sirius's stomachs rumbled. "Time for dinner, I guess," said Sirius. Everyone laughed loudly.

Hermione looked at the clock. "It's been more than seven hours since we began playing," she said. "We've got to ask Professor McGonagall for help to get them back." she motioned to James, Lily, Sirius and Remus. "Now."

"Okay," said Harry disappointed, he was hoping they could stay longer. "Let's go to her office right now."

Harry and James took out their Invisibility Cloaks. Harry covered Sirius and Remus with his cloak and James went under his cloak and looked at Lily eagerly. Lily hesitated but sighed and went under the cloak with James. "Don't try anything funny, Potter," she said as the cloak covered them. "You still don't trust me?" asked James sadly. "Let me think about it," said Lily sarcastically. "No."

"Follow us," said Harry as he went out his room followed by Ron, Hermione, James with Lily and Remus with Sirius. They all went through the common room and down a few floors. As they were halfway down a flight of stairs, Draco Malfoy came from around the corner with his cronies, Crabbe and Goyle.Malfoy smirked and stood in front of them, blocking the wayto the Headmistress's office.

"Well, if it isn't Potty, Mudblood and the Weasel," he sneered. James and Lily shifted angrily under the cloak. James tried to run down the stairs and punch Malfoy but Harrystopped him.

"Get out of the way, Malfoy," said Harry restraining the invisible James. Malfoy raised an eyebrow as he saw Harry pushing back something. "What are you doing, Potter?" asked Malfoy forgetting all rudeness and advancing towards him.

"Mind your own business, ferret," said Ron helping Harry restrain James who was stronger than Harry.

Malfoy, becoming more curious pushed Harry and Ron out of the way. Suddenly, he was knocked backwards by James, still under the cloak. Lily was left visible and was immediately dragged under Harry's cloak by Remus and Sirius.

"Wh-what?" stuttered Malfoy bewildered as James began to punch him. Crabbe and Goyle tried to grab James but unfortunately for them, they were pushed away and held back by the invisible Remus, Lily and Sirius.

Malfoy grabbed the invisibility cloak that was covering James and pulled it, revealing James's head, which appeared to be floating in mid-air. Malfoy's eyes widened. "It's happening again!" Crabbe and Goyle yelled breaking away from Remus, Sirius and Lily's grip and running away.

Malfoy was breathing heavily, looking from Harry to the floating head of James and back again. James released him and Malfoy scrambled to his feet. He stood frozen on the spot. Sirius sniggered and Malfoy looked around. "He's seen too much," said Sirius in a deep voice as James pulled the cloak back on.

James got the idea and answered. "Yes," he said in a deep voice. "We must dispose of him,"Lily said menacingly, joining in onthe joke.. Malfoy yelped and started to run but was caught and held up inches from the ground by Remus. Malfoy remained suspended in mid-air, frightened out of his wits, as Harry, Ron and Hermione fell laughing.

Remus, still holding Malfoy, walked to a broom cupboard. James opened the door and Remus threw him in. Malfoy fell in with a crash and as he stood up, Lily pointed her wand at him and muttered, "Incarcerous." Ropesappeared from the tip of her wand and coiled around Malfoy, tying himup tightly. Lily took out her handkercheif and tied it over Malfoy's mouth. Sirius slammed the door shut and locked it. "The executioner will be with you shortly," saidRemus in a deep voice.

They left Malfoy, gagged and tied up, in the cupboard and walked towards the trio who were laughing hysterically, tears coming to their eyes. "How come we've never thought of that before?" asked Hermione in a fit of giggles.

"The Marauders are the best at thinking up of new tricks," said James, now laughing along with them. "Why did those two dumbbells mean when they said, 'It's happening again'?" asked James curiously.

"Long story, short, they saw my floating head during a Hogsmeade trip," said Harry laughing harder as he heard the muffled yells of Malfoy coming from the cupboard.

"Okay, let's go to Professor McGonagall's office, now," said Hermione fighting her urge to continue laughing. Lily went under the cloak with James and all of them walked towards a statue of a gargoyle.

They stopped in front of it. "Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans," Harry said and the stone gargoyle leapt aside revealing a marble staircase which began to move.

Harry and the rest stepped onto the staircase after a minute or two, the staircase slowed down and Harry came face to face with the polished oak door. He knocked and waited for a response. "Come in," said a female voice from inside as the door automatically opened. Professor McGonagall was sitting behind her desk. She looked up and saw Harry, Ron and Hermione. The door slammed shut as Ron and Hermione came in. "Owww," they heard James and Lily say loudly. Apparently, the door had slammed on both of their faces.

"Who was that?" asked the surprised professor. The door opened again and closed.

"Well, professor," said Lily under the cloak. Professor McGonagall gave a gasp. James, Lily, Sirius and Remus took off the Invisibility Cloaks.

"Yesterday, I mean the past, I mean a few years ago in the past," said James. "We broke a Time Turner," said Lily. "Now we're in the future," said Sirius. "And we don't know how to get back," said Remus.

"I see," said Professor McGonagall now standing up. "Well, we must find a way to send you back. But the only way I can think of is the time portal that is inside the Department of Mysteries which is deep inside the Ministry of Magic, since someone broke the whole stock of Time Turners two years ago." Hermione blushed.

"The Department of Mysteries?" repeated James.

"Yes, Potter," said Professor McGonagall. "But to make the portal work, you will need a tail feather of a Phoenix. But since Fawkes is still featherless, you will need to find another Phoenix and pluck one of its. The only place that I can think of that has Phoenixes is the Ruby Mountains which is very far from Hogwarts. It would be a long journey for you to get there and back because magic is completely useless around that area."

All of them looked at Professor McGonagall for a moment. "We'll take the challenge," said James confidently.

"Well, Potter," said Professor McGonagall, now her voice grim. "You will need to get there before three months past. Because if you don't, I'm afraid that Harry will disappear, forever. Because you and Miss Evans are here in this time."

Harry's heart sank as he heard those words. "No," said Hermione and Ron. Sirius and Remus looked shocked. James looked at Lily and said, "We will get the Phoenix feather in Ruby Mountains and go back in time if it's the last thing we'll do, but we'll need a map."

"Don't worry, Potter," said Professor McGonagall. "I have one right here." She looked into her desk drawer that was chock full of parchment. She pulled an old piece of parchment and unrolled it. She scanned it and handed it to James.

"This is the only known route to the Red Mountains. It would probably take you two full months to reach there," she said. "Potter, Granger and Weasley are allowed to leave the school but will need to come back as soon as they can." She paused and looked at Harry. "If possible," she finished. "Good luck."

James rolled up the map. "Thank you, Professor," he said. "We'll go this very moment."

"Wait a minute," said Hermione. "We'll need to pack and gather supplies first."

"Miss Granger," said Professor McGonagall calmly. "Here is Professor Dumbledore's travelling bag. He gave it to me a week before he was murdered." She took out a backpack. "It will always be full of food, water and medicine. You need to find shelter yourselves, I'm afraid. It is quite useful in a long journey," she said and handed it to Hermione.

"Thank you again, Professor," said James. "Now, we begin our journey."

**(A/N: Thanks for reading and please review. Sorry to all Malfoy and Slytherin lovers. Forgive me!)**


	5. The Journey Begins

**(A/N: Thanks for reviewing animelover, you're the only one who seems to be doing it. This is the fifth chapter. Please applaud. In this chapter, the Golden Trio and Marauders get a little more help than they had expected. Read it, to understand it and press the button that says 'review' and type! I'm begging all of you, now, please review! Continuing with the story…)**

Harry, Ron, Hermione, James, Lily, Remus and Sirius walked out of the Headmistresses office and proceeded down to the Main Entrance, passing the broom cupboard that Malfoy was in. "Do you think we should help him?" asked Lily, under the Invisibility Cloak.

"Lily, I'm surprised, since when did you have a soft spot for Slytherins?" said James. "Wait, don't answer that." He sniggered.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" asked Lily angrily.

"Well, no offence, Evans," said James. "But you do kinda have a soft spot for Slytherins."

"Tell me the name of one Slytherin that I have been soft to," asked Lily.

"Snape," said James and Harry in unison.

"What?" asked James.

"Snape," said Harry. "He's coming this way."

"What do you me-," James was cut short as a tall dark figure with greasy hair approached them.

"Potter, where do you think you're going?" Snape sneered.

"I am going outside," said Harry coldly. "Is that a crime, now?"

"Potter, I wish you address me as 'Professor' or 'sir'," said Snape.

"After what you did, I don't even want to look at you," said Harry looking in another direction.

Snape glared at Harry and walked away. There was a moment of silence as Harry and the rest stood there. "Well, let's get going," said Lily nudging Harry's back. "We've only got seven months," she added trying to change the subject.

They walked on out of the Entrance Hall, past the gigantic hour glasses and out across the grounds. They looked around and saw students laughing, talking, and running around. The giant squid was floating in the middle of the lake, while a few brave students were swimming around it. A boy tried to climb onto the giant creature, but instead, was pushed off by a giant tentacle.

Before they knew it, Sirius banged into a huge gate. Lily giggled as she pulled him to his feet. They pushed open the gate and walked through it. Harry took a last glance at Hogwarts and walked on as James, looking at Professor McGonagall's map, was muttering silently while tracing his finger across it. Harry pulled off his cloak and pocketed it.

"Okay," James said, pulling off his Invisibility Cloak and putting it in his pocket. "We need to turn left once we get through Hogsmeade. Then we need to go through a Centaur Forest and then through Spider's Cave," he stopped to look at everyone's reaction.

Everyone looked calm except for Ron who was whimpering. "Why does it have to be spiders? Why does it always have to be spiders? Can't it be ladybugs or butterflies? We already met a giant spider four years ago. Why now of all times, do we need to go through a spider infested cave?" Everyone was now looking at Ron eyebrows raised as Hermione was patting his back and trying to calm him down.

Ron took a deep breath and looked around. "What's everyone looking at me for?" he asked. Everyone turned around and began walking through the streets of Hogsmeade. They stopped every now and then to look into the shop windows. As they walked in front Zonko's Joke shop, Hermione stopped. Remus, Sirius and Ron, who were walking behind her, bumped into her. "What's the hold up?" asked Sirius. "I just remembered, we didn't bring any clothes," said Hermione.

"Well, that's a bit of a problem," said Remus. He looked around. "How about we buy some clothes? There's a clothes shop over there." He pointed to a shop with mannequins at the window, wearing brightly coloured Muggle clothes.

"I didn't notice that shop before," said Ron looking at it.

"Maybe it just opened," said James. "Come on, I'm not gonna wear the same clothes for seven months." He walked over to the shop. The rest followed him.

James pushed open the door and walked inside. "Welcome to Muggle Wear for All Occasions," said a cool female voice from behind the counter. Harry and the rest nodded and each walked over to a rack and began looking trough the selection of clothing.

Fifteen minutes later…

Harry and the rest walked out of the shop, each carrying a bag or two. Hermione and Lily were looking into their bags and checking to see how many of them match. Remus, Ron and Sirius were talking excitedly while James walked side-by-side with Harry while looking trough the map.

"After the Spider's Cave, we need to go through Sleepy Valley and then," James paused and looked at the map again. "What's wrong?" asked Harry peering at the map. "Well, the map says, we need to go through a lake filled with Grindylows," said James.

"Can't we just go around it?" asked Harry.

"Afraid not, because the lake is surrounded by Devil's Snare," said James. "I guess someone doesn't want us to get to Ruby Mountains. But it's a risk for my future son." James smiled and put his arm around Harry's shoulder.

"Hey, look!" exclaimed Sirius. "I think that's Centaur's Forest." Sirius pointed to a thick gathering of trees.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," said Lily rolling her eyes. "Next, you'll be saying the sky is blue."

"What do you mean?" asked Sirius but he blushed when he saw a sign. It said in big, black words, 'Centaur Forest. Enter at your own risk'. Everyone walked towards the forest. At the edge of the forest, they stopped. "Centaurs hate humans," said Lily. "There have been stories of murders in this forest. Evidence at the scene says that the victims were kicked or trampled to death by centaurs." Everyone looked at her. "I just thought you all had to know," Lily said shrugging.

They jumped as they heard a twig break. They all held their breath. A centaur came from the shadows. But this centaur wasn't big, mature and had a surly face. Instead, it looked as though it was a teenager and was smiling at them. The centaur stopped in his tracks as he looked at Harry and the rest. They looked at each other for awhile.

"Umm, hi," said the centaur. "I'm Jason. Who are you and what are you doing here?" the centaur asked happily.

"I'm…I'm…I'm," Harry found himself stuttering again.

"I'm James, this is Harry, Hermione, Ron, Remus, Sirius and Lily," James said still looking at the centaur named Jason. The rest of them smiled or waved nervously.

"And we're here because we want to go to Ruby Mountains," said Lily walking towards Jason but stopping beside James.

"Ruby Mountains?" asked Jason. "I know a short cut to Ruby Mountains."

"Does your short cut involve going through Spider's Cave?" asked Ron timidly.

Jason shook his head. "It crosses Spider's Cave but you don't need to go in it," he said. "But you still need to go through Sleepy Valley and the rest." Ron gave an audible sigh of relief.

"Could you lead us?" asked Harry.

"Of course," Jason replied. "Mind if I follow you all the way? I have to meet my dad there. He works for Ollivander, gathering up phoenix tail feathers for his wands. So, anyway, can I?"

They all nodded and Jason smiled and turned around. "Follow me," he said galloping slowly through a few trees and looking behind, waiting for them. They all walked behind Jason, looking at the trees and plants they passed. After what felt like half an hour, they heard a rustle in the leaves. "Jason? Jason?" they heard a female voice say. "Where are you?"

Harry and the rest looked at Jason who was now blushing as a female centaur with blonde hair, wearing what looked like a white tube top, approached them. "Jason," the female centaur said. "Why did you run off like that? I already said you needed my help to get to Ruby Mountains." The female centaur suddenly noticed Harry and the rest were there.

"They're with me, Audrey," Jason said, still blushing. "I'm helping them to get to Ruby Mountains." The female centaur named Audrey looked at Harry and the rest and a smile came upon her face. "Well, what are we waiting for?" she said looking at Jason, whose face was now scarlet. "Let's get going. What's wrong Jason?" she suddenly asked looking at Jason's face.

"No-Nothing," Jason replied looking away. "It's a long way to Ruby Mountains, we'd better get started now or we'll be…um…late?" Jason added. Audrey shrugged and walked side-by-side with Jason, holding on to his arm and leaning her head onto his shoulder. Jason gave a nervous laugh and continued walking. "What's up with him?" asked James whispered to Harry. "What do you mean?" asked Harry. "Well, he stutters when he sees Audrey," whispered James. "Isn't it obvious, Potter?" asked Lily, startling them both. "He stutters blushes and acts all goofy when he's with her. He reminds me of you, Potter," said Lily triumphantly as James blushed. "He's in love," she whispered quietly.

James, face still red, opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when all of them suddenly heard loud rustling noises around them. They froze and looked at all directions. Audrey looked frightened while Jason looked pale, not because of the noise but because he felt Audrey's grip tightened around his arm.

An arrow shot past the trees and hit a tree, centimetres from Ron's head. Ron whimpered. Suddenly, centaurs clutching bows and arrows appeared from the shadows of the trees, surrounding them.

"Jason, how dare you let humans into our forest?" one of the centaurs asked angrily.

"I'll let whoever into this forest who I think is trustworthy," said Jason.

"HUMANS ARE NOT TRUSTWORTHY, JASON!" a teenage centaur roared. "HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT? AND HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO STAY AWAY FROM HER!" The centaur pointed at Audrey who now looked shocked. James, looking taken aback, opened his mouth to say something.

"You have no right to yell at him like that, Bryant," Audrey said angrily. All of the centaurs looked at her, each with an expression with great discomfort as they realised who had said that. Audrey glared at all of them, looking determined. _There is no way she can fight a dozen armed centaurs alone _Harry heard a voice in his head say.

"Harry, how are we going to get out of this mess?" whispered Hermione.


	6. Spider's Poison and Poison Ivy

**(A/N: Sorry for the delay, here's the next chapter folks! This contains minor romance, but I think you all can handle it! Enjoy!)**

"I don't know," said Harry.

The centaurs glared at Audrey and their grips tightened on their weapons. Suddenly, without any warning, they shot their arrows to the ground nearby their own hooves. "Leave us," said Audrey. The strongest centaur gave a low bow and said, Yes, Your Highness." The centaurs cleared out, leaving Audrey, Jason and a group of shocked and bewildered teenage Hogwarts students.

"What the bloody hell was that about?" asked Ron from behind Harry. Jason looked at Ron. "Audrey's father is the Chief Centaur, which makes her sort of, royalty," he said. They looked at Audrey. "What?" she said. "Can't I keep a secret? Anyway, let's go, we have a long journey ahead of us." Audrey turned around and tugged at Jason's arm, signalling him to follow her.

"Princess?" whispered Lily. "No wonder he dares not confess."

"Confess what?" asked James.

"His feelings for her," said Lily.

"Wow, it's like one of those fairytales," said Hermione.

James shrugged and kept on walking as Lily and Hermione had a girl-to-girl talk. "Girls," he muttered.

Soon, they were out of the forest and they found themselves in front of a dark swamp. Jason motioned them to a small pathway, but the path was blocked by huge boulders. "Sorry," said Jason. "But the path around the Spider's Cave is blocked. We will need to go _into_ the Spider's Cave. Ron whimpered. "What's wrong with Ron?" James asked.

"Childhood memories," said Harry as they made their way to a big cave covered in spider webs. Lily walked along James, holding his arm tightly. "What's wrong, Evans?" said James looking at her pale face. "Phobia," said Lily as she saw a spider go by and tightened her grip. Harry looked at them and then at Ron. "I think I should help Ron," he said as he walked towards the whimpering Ron.

Jason and Audrey stopped in front of the cave. "Come on," Jason said. Harry was holding Ron's right arm as Hermione held his left. Sirius and Remus were looking confident and Lily was still holding James arm tightly. They went in. They saw colourful spiders walking along the walls and spider webs were hanging from the ceiling, almost touching Harry's head. "Interesting," Remus said as he saw a yellow spider. "These spiders are not normal," Ron squealed. That seemed to interest Remus even more and he picked up an acid green spider.

"Be careful," said Hermione. "It might be dangerous or even poisonous." Remus dropped the spider which immediately scurried away, nearly touching Ron's foot. "Don't do that!" Ron said, but his voice wasn't his own but high pitched, like a girl's. Sirius sniggered but a red glowing spider dropped on his head the next second. "Get it off! Get it off!" he screamed.

Remus grabbed Sirius's head and tried to shake the spider off. "D-d-d-d-don't d-d-d-do t-t-t-t-that!" Sirius yelled while Remus continued to shake him more vigorously. The spider dropped off and landed on Lily's jeans. Lily screamed. Suddenly, the red spider bit her. Lily stopped screaming and fainted. Hermione took a glove and slapped the spider away. "Lily? Lily?" James said, frantically trying to wake Lily up.

"We're almost out," Jason said. "We need to get out quickly before the other spiders get us." All of them ran towards the exit of the cave and ran for their lives as they heard a sound of scurrying spiders following them. All of them ran out and saw the light of the Sun. Ron fell to the ground and hugged it. James was still holding Lily tightly. Lily was shivering and her lips were turning blue. "Hermione, we need an antidote. Check the bag," James said frantically.

Hermione opened the bag and saw a small bottle of pink potion and a piece of parchment. She took it out and read it, "Medicine for the red spider bite. Drink whole bottle and keep the patient warm. Let the patient rest overnight."

James took the medicine and shook Lily gently. Lily's eyes fluttered open, but closed again. James opened the bottle and emptied its contents into Lily's mouth. Lily's lips changed back to red but she was still shivering. "We need to keep her warm," James said. He took his jacket and covered Lily with it. Lily's shivering stopped.

"I guess we need to sleep here for the night," Jason said "The Sun's setting and it's dangerous to journey through the dark." He was right; the Sun was slowly starting to disappear into the horizon. All of them each took out a sleeping bag from Hermione's bag and lied down. They were left in total darkness and went to sleep.

James was still holding Lily tightly. Lily began shivering again. James looked around but he couldn't see anything. He took off the jacket that was covering Lily and he hugged her tightly. Lily stopped shivering after a few minutes and James, relieved, fell asleep. Not caring that Lily would probably slap him in the morning.

Lily stirred in her sleep and opened her eyes. Everything was dark and the only thing she could see was James's face. She didn't push him away or scream in his ear which she would normally do but instead, she stroked his hair, hugged him and went back to sleep.

_In the morning…_

Lily woke up, the sun was shining brightly and she saw the upside-down image of James head. "Good morning," he said. "Sleep well?" Lily, for the first time in her life, smiled at James. "What happened?" she asked looking around.

"You were bitten by a spider and passed out, but its okay, we gave you the antidote," said James stroking her hair. Lily was suddenly aware that her head was resting on James's lap. She sat up and stretched her arms. Everyone was sitting in a circle, a few feet away, eating the food from Hermione's bag, but Sirius wasn't shoving the food down his throat next to Ron. Lily couldn't see Sirius anywhere.

"Where's Sirius?" Lily asked. James hesitated to answer.

"He's shitting at that tree over there," James pointed at a tree which suddenly, started screaming and yelling.

Sirius jumped from the tree, thankfully wearing his pants but he was scratching his butt. Lily raised an eyebrow and so did Hermione. "What's wrong, mate?" James asked.

Sirius turned around. "What's wrong?" he asked looking like a madman. "What's wrong is that poison ivy has been wrongfully used as toilet paper! What's wrong is that my butt itches like hell! What's wrong is that a leaf of poison ivy is stuck in my ass! That's what's wrong!" Everyone looked at Sirius and looked at each other and started laughing.

"Well, keep on laughing cause someone needs to put cream on my ass and take out the leaf," Sirius said. Everyone stopped laughing and looked at each other.

"You can't be serious, mate," said Ron.

"I am Sirius. Sirius Black," said Sirius. "At least that's what it says on my birth cert."

"That joke's getting old, mate," Harry said.

"Yeah and so am I," said Sirius. "Now who's gonna take the leaf out?"

"Let's go on with the journey, shall we?" said Hermione throwing a cream to Sirius who caught it. "Rub your own butt or we're going on with the journey without you," Hermione said.

Sirius took the cream and went behind a tree. He came from it five minutes later, his face red. Let's get going," he said. All of them packed up the sleeping bags and got up. "We will need to walk through Sleepy Valley which is a six hour walk from here," James said looking at the map. Everyone groaned. "Well, isn't this a wonderful opportunity to get to know each other," said Sirius. "Who wants to play Truth or Dare?"

Everyone raised an eyebrow. "What?" asked Sirius. "Or do you all want to hear me sing One Thousand Bottles of Milk on the Wall?"

"Truth or Dare, Hermione?" asked James instantly as Sirius opened his mouth to sing.

"Dare," Hermione said quickly.

"I dare you to," James paused and an evil grin came to his face. "I dare you to kiss Remus on the lips."

"What?" Remus and Ron yelled out as Hermione blushed a deep scarlet red.

"You can't be serious," said Hermione. "And not a word from you, Sirius." Sirius closed his mouth.

"Once you say, dare," said James. "You've gotta do it."

Hermione groaned and looked at Ron. Ron took out his handkerchief and covered his eyes with it. "Go on," he said as he turned around. Hermione looked at Remus who shrugged and walked over to her. "I'm going to kill you for this, Potter," he said.

James looked at Hermione, Harry looked bewildered, Sirius hummed the wedding march which made things worse. Hermione looked at the rest and kissed Remus lightly. Sirius broke out into a chorus, "Here comes the bride! Here comes the oww!" Everyone looked at Sirius who was hopping on one foot and Ron, still blind folded, smiling broadly. "Did I get the target?" he asked.

"You most certainly did," said Harry, grinning broadly.

"First, my butt, then my foot," Sirius said rubbing his foot.

"Excuse me," Jason said. "But what is an oww?" He asked smiling.

"Here comes the oww! Here comes the oww!" Ron sang.

Hermione and Remus were still blushing but they were smiling at each other.

"Truth or dare, Lily," said James.

"Dare," said Lily, still smiling about Sirius's painful foot.

"I dare you to kiss me," James said smiling.

"Excuse me, but I thought we were playing Truth or Dare, not Seven Minutes in Heaven," Lily said.

"Is that a suggestion, Evans?" James asked cheekily.

But Lily didn't slap him; instead, she kissed him softly on the cheek. "Never thought you'd do that," James said smiling.

"Miracles happen, Potter," Lily said. There was a loud yell from the back. They looked around. Ron was yelling, because apparently, a gigantic spider had cast a web around his legs and was attempting to pull him away from the rest.

"Hold on, Ron," Hermione said. "Expelliarmus!" The tip of her wand sparked but nothing happened. "Shit! Magic doesn't work here," she said and ran over to Ron and grabbed his waist. Lily grabbed Hermione's waist and pulled. James grabbed Lily's waist, Remus grabbed James's left leg and Harry grabbed James's right leg. They pulled, and James was lifted off the ground.

"My legs are attached, you know!" James yelled.

"Speak for yourself!" Harry yelled as Sirius grabbed both of Harry's legs and lifted him off the ground.

The spider pulled harder and so did the rest, resulting to the yelling and screaming of James and Harry. "That hurts!" they yelled in unison.

"Unless you two want Ron to be this spider's dinner, you two should better shut up and hold on!" Remus yelled as he pulled harder. This time, James just winced and said nothing. Jason and Audrey were kicking the spider with their hind legs.

Soon, after a few suppressed yells, the spider gave up, and let go of the web and left the seven exhausted teenage wizards and two evenly exhausted teenage centaurs, all of them were thickly tied up in layers of spider's web.

"Well, wasn't that an unforgettable experience," James said, struggling to get off the spider's web which was unexpectedly very strong.

"Since all of us are a little tied up," Sirius said. "Let's all have a game of Truth or Dare!"

"You can't possibly-, " Ron said but was cut off as Sirius was yelling out the words, "One thousand bottle's of milk on the wall! One thousand..."

"Truth or Dare, Sirius?" Harry asked loudly.

"Truth," Sirius said smiling.

"Who was your first crush?" Harry asked.

Sirius grinned and looked at Harry. "Rita Skeeter," he mumbled.

Harry looked at Ron and Hermione and all of them burst out laughing. "Rita Skeeter?" Ron asked laughing.

"I'm not proud of it," Sirius said, his face going red.

_They laughed louder and continued their forced game of Truth or Dare until…_

"Guys," Ron said. "My nose itches!"

"And so does my ass, but I'm not complaining," said Sirius smiling.

"If I wasn't still, blindfolded," Ron began, but then, it started to rain.

"Faith is cruel, Ron," Remus said, shaking his head. "And so is Mother Nature."

**(A/N: Thanks for reading, and can you all do me a favour? Click on that button over there, the one that says "Submit Review" and type! Thank you for your cooperation.)**


	7. Lily's Love

**(A/N: Thank you all reviewers!**

**QueenNilya-Sorry about the fast-ness. I will try to slow it down.**

**Jacc-Thank you!**

**Magnificent-Yes I am happy! Thank you :)**

**PinkPixie37-Ron's still blindfolded cause he didn't get to take it off when the spider got him and now he's tied up and can't reach his blindfold.**

**luthein-Thank you for saying it's nice.**

**siriusblacklover-I will write more.**

**gatermage-It was the first person that came to my mind. Harry wanted to help preventthe murderbut he didn't say too much. He knows what meddling with time would do.**

**StargateAngel101-Thank you! You make me so happy!**

**Now, on with the story! Lily will find her lovefor James and Sirius still has an itchy ass!)**

"The weather sucks," James said looking at the gloomy sky.

"We're gonna get a cold for sure," Hermione said.

"Our other clothes were torn to bits and eaten by that spider," Lily moaned.

"Whoop tee freaking doo!" Sirius said. "Now unless, you want all of us to journey wearing the same wet clothes, think again."

"We'll improvise," James said.

"Unless you want us to dress like Tarzan and Jane," Hermione began, but a grin had spread across Sirius's face.

"Loincloths and bikinis!" Sirius bellowed. "Now all we need are gorillas!"

"At least there's a bright side to this fiasco," James muttered.

"Bright side? What bright side?" Lily said menacingly. "We lost our clothes, almost got killed by centaurs, I got bitten by a poisonous spider, Sirius has an itchy ass, it's very disturbing to see him scratch it every now and then, we almost got eaten by a giant spider, we are tied up in web, it's raining, we're being black mailed to play Truth or Dare and Sirius suggesting we wear bikinis! If there is a bright side, just one, tell me or so help me I will kiss Remus full on the lips on a full moon!" Lily shouted completely loosing her temper.

"It's my birthday tomorrow," James said backing away from Lily.

"Potter, I am so going to kill you when I get out from this web!" Lily bellowed.

The rain stopped and the clouds disappeared, the Sun was shining brightly. The webs that were binding them loosened and fell off. James stood up and hid behind Harry. Lily got up and launched herself at James. James ran while Lily chased him. They ran round and round the rest.

"Do they always do this?" Harry asked.

"Only when James pisses Lily off," Remus said.

"How often does James pisses her off?" Harry asked.

"All the time," Remus said smiling.

Ron took off his blindfold and looked around. "It's a freaking miracle!" he said. "I can see!"

Hermione was making an attempt to calm Lily down. "Boys are always like this," She said running after her. "The saying goes, boys will be boys! Lily, don't strangle him!"

Harry, Remus and Ron looked around, Lily had pinned James to the ground and was now, attempting to strangle him. Hermione was pulling her off James with much difficulty. "I can use with some help over here!" she said.

"Mom, I mean Lily I mean don't strangle dad, I mean James!" Harry was prying Lily's hands off James neck.

Harry's words seemed to have an affect on Lily; she loosed her grip and looked at James. "Harry, you're pretty good," Sirius commented. Hermione let go of Lily and stood back, as though she was expecting an explosion.

Lily was still on top of James who was breathing deeply. The words that Harry had said were rushing through her mind _'Mom, don't strangle dad! Mom, don't strangle dad!' _the words repeated themselves continuously. She looked at James and without thinking, she hugged him. Everyone was shocked but at the same time, happy, very happy. James, who was still shocked and bewildered, hugged her back. Lily looked at James's face. At that precise moment, Lily's affection for James, that she had been hiding, was let loose and was finally free. Lily closed her eyes and kissed James on the lips.

Harry smiled, Ron and Hermione held hands, Sirius smiled and tossed Remus a Galleon and both centaurs smiled at each other.

Lily looked at James who laughed nervously. Lily got off him and helped him to his feet. They smiled at each other and Lily blushed. James cleared his throat. "Let's get going," James muttered. "Yeah," Lily said smiling.

"Umm… I think I can see Sleepy Valley," Jason said pointing to a stretch of flowers a few miles away. Jason smiled at the both of them and walked, now his arm around Audrey's shoulder. The rest followed, James and Lily at the back. After a few minutes, James said, "So, are we considered a couple now?" "Yes, and we have to anyway," Lily said, resting her head on his shoulder.

"That's our son right in front of us," James muttered. Lily giggled. "What?" James asked.

"You're blushing," she said. "I've never see you blush before." She stroked his cheek.

"Look at that sunset!" Harry suddenly said. James and Lily looked up and saw the beautiful sight, the pinkish clouds, the orange and purple sky, the red Sun that was disappearing along the horizon. "Well, here we are," Jason said. "Keep on walking."

They all continued their journey through a curious valley full of flowers, stretching on for miles and miles. But this wasn't an ordinary valley, there were pink flowers on the right but there were blue flowers on the left, both patches of flowers were neatly divided by a wide stone path in the middle. Jason and Audrey hesitated but continued walking at a faster pace. "I wonder why there's no one here," said Hermione. "I was wondering the exact same thing and I don't think these flowers are normal," said Lily looking closely at a pink flower.

The Sun set and they were left in total darkness. They continued walking until the moon appeared, showering them in a whitish glow, all of them looked at Remus, who was muttering slowly, "It's not a full moon, it's a crescent. It's not a full moon, it's a crescent."

Suddenly, the flowers on each side of the valley glittered and a pink fog came from the blue flowers and a blue fog came from the pink ones. The fog drifted to the middle, mixed and became purple. All of them breathed in the sweet aroma of violets and felt sleepy; they couldn't think properly, their legs were giving way, their eyelids felt heavy.

Remus's muttering became slower and soon, could not be heard as he fell onto the path. "The gas the flowers are producing is…some...sort…of…sleeping…" Hermione did not finish her sentence but fell onto the path. Soon, everyone around Harry was starting to fall asleep, one by one. Harry was soon the only one left but he soon collapsed. He hit to path expecting a painful sensation, but instead, he felt as through the path was a soft mattress. Harry tried to fight the strong urge to fall asleep, but in vain. Harry's eyes drooped and his mind went blank.

_In the morning…_

The Sun rose from the east, the light revealed the abnormal sight of seven sleeping teenagers and two teenage centaurs in a valley full of flowers, all of them appeared to be in a deep sleep. Lily stirred in her sleep as the sunlight came to her face. She opened her eyes, she tried to get up but she couldn't. She turned around to find James on top of her, hugging her tightly. She smiled and stroked his messy hair away from his face. She closed her eyes and kissed him on the lips. James woke up and he hugged her tighter. Lily opened her eyes and realised James was awake. She pulled away and opened her mouth to speak, but James kissed her before she could say anything.

"Happy Birthday," Lily said smiling. James nodded looking tremendously happy. Harry woke up and said, "Morning. Those flowers, funny things aren't they?" And as though on cue, the rest woke up trying to hide their smiles. "Happy Birthday, mate," said Sirius patting him on the back. "Yeah, Happy Birthday," said Remus, pretending to yawn. "Thanks," said James. "Where's my present?" he asked still smiling. Sirius shoved him away jokingly. Hermione and Ron were still smiling broadly. James noticed this and blushed.

"Come off it," said James. "I know you all saw us. What's the big deal? You all saw us yesterday."

All of them grinned. Jason and Audrey woke up. "Good morning," they said in unison. "Did we miss anything?" Audrey asked. Both of them were grinning broadly. "Come off it, you two," said James as Jason patted him on the back. They all laughed. "What's for breakfast?" Sirius asked.

Lily rolled her eyes as Hermione, still laughing, took the bag and opened it. A wide selection of sandwiches was packed neatly in stacks. Sirius immediately, as though by instinct, took a tuna sandwich. "Are you serious you want to eat that, mate?" asked Ron as Sirius took off the wrapping.

"Yes, I do want to eat this and yes, I am Sirius," said Sirius taking a bite out of the sandwich. "I thought we went over this when we me," he said, his mouth full of tuna.

"Sirius, that's joke getting really old," said Hermione as everyone each took a sandwich of their choice and took off the wrapping. Hermione closed the bag and opened it again, this time; it was filled with bottles of Butterbeer.

After breakfast…

"So let's get going," said James helping Lily up to her feet.

Lily smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Yeah let's get going," said James, blushing.

"So," said Ron. "What's next on the map?"

"Grindylow infested waters," James said looking at the map. "Or do you prefer going through a clump of Devil's Snare?" It took them a few minutes to consider.

"Do you really think going through Devil's Snare is an option?" James asked.

"No," Ron said instantly.

"I guess not," Hermione said. "But how are we going to breathe underwater?"

"We don't," Audrey said. "I know a way across without going through a lake or Devil's Snare. We just have to continue going through Sleepy Valley until we reach the end."

"And that would take, how long?" asked Ron.

"About a month or so," Audrey said.

"One month more or going through Devil's Snare?" asked Ron sarcastically. "I choose the one that's less dangerous."

"But what about Harry?" Hermione asked.

"I know another way…" Jason said. All of them looked at him.

**(A/N: Well, this is another end to another chappy. Does anyone have any suggestions what's going to be next on the map? The writer has suddenly ran out of ideas. Please review and give some suggestions if you have some.)**


	8. Broken Hearts and Drunken Masters

"Well, what's your way?" asked Hermione.

"We'll have to go through Bulgaria," Jason said plainly. "It will take a few weeks though."

Hermione smiled, Ron scowled at her and mouthed something that looked like, 'fraternizing with the enemy.' Harry rolled his eyes.

"What's wrong with Bulgaria?" James asked Harry.

"Viktor Krum, a Quidditch player from Bulgaria, likes Hermione but that was a few years ago," Harry said looking as Hermione tied up her hair in a ponytail and tried to make it look neat. "I didn't think Ron would still be jealous of him."

"I am not jealous," Ron said. "Even if you did fraternized with the enemy."

"The enemy?" Hermione said taken aback. "He is not the enemy!"

"Here we go again," Harry said rolling his eyes as they started to argue. "Another dose of déjà vu."

"Okay," Jason said over the bickering of Ron and Hermione. "Let's go then."

"I am not going to Bulgaria," Ron said.

"Deal with it, Ron," Hermione said. "We are going and that's final."

"Oh, so you want to see Vikki, don't you Hermy-own-ninny?" Ron said imitating Viktor.

"Do not call him Vikki!" Hermione said. "What's you're problem with him anyway?"

"I do not have a problem with him!" Ron said.

"Then why are you stalling this trip?" Hermione said.

"Oh, so it's a trip now?" Ron said. "A trip to all you-can-snog Bulgaria!"

"I didn't mean it that way, Ron!" Hermione said as the speechless audience stared at them.

"So, what did you mean?" Ron said cooling down a little.

"I mean it would be nice to see a friend once in a while," Hermione said.

"Don't you mean boyfriend?" Ron asked.

"If you think it's like that, why don't you take another route, then?" Hermione yelled.

"Fine!" Ron said. "I will!"

"Fine!" Hermione said. "We split up into two groups and each of us takes a different route."

"The best idea you ever had," Ron said. "Anyway, Hermione, we're through."

"FINE!" Hermione bellowed. The rest of then widened their eyes in shock as Ron dragged Sirius through a clump of trees. The centaurs shrugged and followed them. "I've got to warn you, this rout if the most boring," Jason said. Hermione, Harry, James, Lily and Remus were left in the clearing.

Harry watched as Ron, the centaurs and Sirius disappeared through the trees. Hermione took a deep breath and looked at the map. "Bulgaria is to the east," she said. "Here," she tossed the map at James. "Lead the way," she muttered.

James hesitated but walked briskly with Lily at his side. Harry gave a confused look at Hermione who was forcing back tears. Hermione motioned him to follow James and, Harry, still confused of what had just happened, walked away from her. Remus cast a concerning to Hermione but she didn't seem to notice this and broke down completely. She sobbed into her hands, unaware the Remus was standing next to her.

Remus hesitated but knelt down beside Hermione. He put a hand on her shoulder. Hermione, not looking who was beside her, hugged him and sobbed quietly into his shirt. Remus was completely shocked by Hermione's actions. After a few silent seconds, Hermione looked up and was shocked to see Remus's concerned and bewildered looking face. She had thought it was Harry who was trying to comfort her. She sat up and brushed some tears from her eyes.

"Sorry, Remus," she muttered blushing, tears still streaming from her eyes.

"It's okay," Remus said. Hermione gulped and managed a smile.

"We better get going or we will be separated, not that I need another separation," Hermione said.

"It's okay, Hermione," Remus said helping her to her feet. "These things happen."

Hermione smiled and hugged him again, resting her head on his shoulder. After a few seconds, they walked, away hand in hand, from the clearing, unaware that two people were watching everything.

"Looks like someone has a crush on Moony," Sirius said, smiling.

"She doesn't need me now that she has him," Ron muttered angrily, brushinga few unshedtears away.

"You know that's not true, mate," Sirius said.

"Yes it is," Ron said forcefully. "I broke up with her and in a few minutes, she gets a new boyfriend! What does she have that I don't have? Wait don't answer that." Ron added as Sirius opened his mouth.

"Well, you know," Sirius said. "I could be your boyfriend."

"Sorry, Sirius. I'm not gay," Ron said pushing him away.

"Only joking, mate," Sirius said.

"Your jokes don't turn out funny, only your reality does," Ron said and added with a laugh. "Rita Skeeter?"

"Still not proud of it," Sirius said in a sing-song voice, closing his ears.

"Let's get going, Jason and Audrey would probably be halfway there by now," Ron said.

"Think again," a voice said behind them. Both of them turned around and smiled. Jason and Audrey were hiding behind them in the shadows.

"C'mon," Audrey said. "It's going to be a long and boring walk ahead of us." Ron and Sirius groaned but followed them.

_Back to Harry and the gang…_

"What took you so long?" James asked as Hermione and Remus caught up.

"Just a few tears," Hermione said.

"Oh, lookie here," Harry said sarcastically. "I'm going to be surrounded by couples."

"True," Lily said. "The only ones left are you, Ron and Sirius."

"Unless," James said in a mysterious tone.

"Unless what?" Remus asked.

"Unless they're gay," James said shifting his eyes.

"They do make the perfect couple," Hermione said, suddenly smiling.

"True," Remus said smiling.

"So, you two admit it," Harry said. "You two are a couple."

"Uhh...umm…" Remus and Hermione said.

"Anyway, let's get going," Lily said.

"Look out, Bulgaria, here come the Marauders, at least half of the Marauders," James said. All of them walked quickly as James led them, without knowing it, into a troll infested cave.

_Thirty minutes and a few trolls later…_

James had fallen onto the ground, pulling Lily with him, Harry was walking as though he was drunk, Remus and Hermione were both holding each two branches and were using them as crutches. Harry, Remus and Hermione fell next to Lily and James. "Let's never, ever, let James lead the way, again," Remus said as one of his branch crutches broke in half and he fell on to the hard ground.

"It was an honest mistake," James gasped.

"Honest mistake my ass!" Lily said. "There was a huge sign that said 'Danger'. How thick can you be Potter?"

"Hey, guys!" Harry said drowsily. "I found a rock. A rock! Is that cool?" Harry broke out laughing.

"What happened with him?" Remus gasped.

"Didn't you see?" James asked.

"Sorry, we were trying not to get hit by a giant spiked ball of doom and didn't have time to look at what was happening to the rest of you ," Hermione said sarcastically.

"He fell right into a pond," Lily said. "Only it wasn't a pond, it was a giant bucket of some kind of rum."

"Didn't know trolls made Firewhisky," James said shaking his head.

"Sorry, Malfoy, my good fellow," Harry said groggily to a tree in a posh English accent. "I didn't notice your new bikini. It's pretty nice, though."

"I think it was way stronger than Firewhisky," Hermione said shaking her head.

"Hello, there!" Harry said suddenly to a frightened squirrel. "Nice day for a stroll d'you think, Mr. Fudge? Is it true that you are made from real chocolate fudge? Can I have some of your hair?"

"Okay…" Lily said.

"KARAOKE!" Harry bellowed holding a stick to his mouth. "Old McDonald had a farm and Bingo was his name-oh! B-I-N-G-O! And Bingo was his name-oh! M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E! Mickey Mouse! Mickey Mouse! Oh, Mickey you're so pretty, you don't understand! You take me by the heart and you take me by the hand!"

"He's quite a good singer, isn't he?" Remus said as Harry broke out into the Chinese classic, 'Para Para Sakura.'

**(A/N: It's a bit like the Macarena but the moves and melody are different, it's quite fun if you know the steps)**

"I think he learned that from Cho on their last date," Hermione said.

"That's my boy!" James said and he paused. "I'm bored."

"Hello there, Bored!" Harry said to bending over and looking at James. "I'm the, newly crowned, Miss Las Vegas!"

"Goodness," Remus said. "He's pretty drunk. Normal whisky would probably wear off by now."

"Well, you know the saying," Lily said. "If you can't beat them, join them."

"What did you mean by that?" James asked.

"Firewhisky for everyone!" Remus said as Lily took out a few bottles of Firewhisky fromHermione's bag.

_A few bottles of Firewhisky later…_

"Sakura!" Everyone shouted, striking a ridiculous pose.

"Didn't anyone tell you that you are a great dancer?" James asked groggily.

"Yes!" Lily said. "After all, I am the Queen of England!"

_Back to Ron and the centaurs…_

"Are we there yet?" Sirius asked.

"For the bloody millionth time, NO!" Ron said.

"This is boring," Sirius moaned.

"Well, find a way to entertain yourself," Ron said irritatedly.

"Pop!" Sirius said.

"I watched the movie and I don't want it played out by you," Ron said.

"This is going to be a long walk," Jason muttered.

"You got that right," Audrey said.

"I just remembered something," Sirius said, stopping.

"What?" Ron asked.

"Hermione's got all the food," Sirius said.

"Noooooooooooooo..." Ron and Sirius yelled at the same time.

**(A/N: Well, that's the next chapter! Sorry for the delay, I had to study for my Science exam. Look out for the next chapter! There will be Hippogriffs on the next one. By the way, press that button over there that says, 'Submit Review' and type. Thank you!)**


	9. Painful Regrets

**(A/N: I just couldn't stop typing. Sorry, no hippogriffs like I promised in the last chapter but some thing more dangerous and destructive. Read and Review)**

The Sun rose, but it could not be seen by Ron as he woke up. His stomach was rumbling ever since last night and he completely regretted breaking up with Hermione for a stupid reason like Viktor Krum. He rubbed his throbbing head and looked at the rest. Jason and Audrey were awake, both of them noticed Ron, they smiled and said in unison, "Good morning."

Ron nodded and noticed that Sirius wasn't with them, or with him. A tree started to scream and Ron had a sudden feeling of Déjà vu. Jason gasped and Audrey screamed and they closed their eyes as Sirius jumped out. Ron's eyes widened and he immediately shielded them.

"Sirius, pull your pants up!" Ron yelled.

"There is still a female here, you know!" Audrey said, still covering her eyes.

"Sorry," Ron heard Sirius said.

"What happened, mate?" Ron said.

"Déjà vu," he heard Sirius say. "It's okay, now."

Ron slowly put his hands down and opened his eyes. Jason and Audrey followed after. "You still have the cream, right?" Ron said.

"Umm, no," Sirius said uncomfortably as he started to scratch his butt. "I left it in Hermione's bag."

Ron completely gave up. "Where is the shortest route to Bulgaria from here?" he muttered.

"Over there," Jason said pointing to a sign that said, 'Bulgaria, 100 kilometres.'

"Where do these signs come from?" Ron asked.

"Well, let's go then," Sirius said. "Looks like breaking up wasn't a good idea after all."

"Shut up," Ron muttered as he walked in the sign's direction. Sirius, Jason and Audrey shrugged and followed him. "One hundred miles, honestly," Sirius said.

_Harry and the gang…_

"So," Harry said. "How drunk was I last night, anyway?"

"Very drunk," Lily said.

"Extremely drunk," James said.

"As drunk as a sailor on a Saturday night," Remus said.

"Don't exaggerate," Harry said, laughing.

"You were commenting an imaginary Draco Malfoy about his bikini," Hermione said.

"I take my last comment back," Harry said.

"Draco Malfoy?" James said. "I thought he was talking to Lucius Malfoy."

"Lucius Malfoy was in Hogwarts the same time you were?" Hermione asked.

"Unfortunately," Remus muttered.

"So, that boy we attacked the other day, was his son?" Lily said.

"Yes," Harry said.

"I saw the resemblance," James muttered. "Same hair, same eyes, same personality and I swear he was wearing the same clothes."

"The Malfoys never wear hand-me-downs," Harry said. "Or do they?"

"I don't think so," Remus said. "I saw the words D.M. on his robe collar."

"That certainly doesn't stand for Lucius Malfoy," James muttered.

"So, anyway," Harry said. "Why did you torment Snape?"

"Ah, the good old days," James said. "Actually I did it because it-"

"Was more the reason that he exists," Harry finished for him.

"How did you know that I would say that?" James asked.

"I kinda," Harry muttered. "Looked on to a Pensieve containing his inner most secrets."

"What memory did you see?" James asked.

"The one after your Defence Against the Dark Arts O.W.L examinations," Harry said.

"Yes," James said. "As I remember, you hated me at that time, Lily."

"You were always showing off," Lily muttered.

"So, did you really take Snape's pants off?" Harry asked, curiosity taking over him.

Remus had burst out laughing and was holding his stomach to prevent him falling down. "The best day of my life," James said, laughing along with him.

"Don't remind me," Lily said.

"So, you did?" Harry asked.

"Didn't you see?" James asked in between laughs.

"I was brought out from the memory before I could see," Harry said. "Not to mention, I almost got murdered by Snape."

"Well, he did," Lily said. "Anyway, I didn't know Snape had a crush on Narcissa Black."

"What?" Hermione said. "Narcissa Black?"

"The most embarrassing day for both, Snape and Narissa," Lily said. "When James apparently saw the words 'I Love Narcissa Black' on the back of Snape's bright pink underpants. She slapped him on the face, she did. Disgusting thing to do anyway."

"Well, Lily," James said. "How would you know I don't have you name written on my clothes?"

"Because if I find out that you do," Lily said. "I would curse you to Oblivion, Potter."

James hastily took off the tie that he was wearing and quickly stuffed it in his pocket.

"Why did you take off that tie, Potter," Lily asked, looking at James closely.

"Umm…Uhh," James stammered.

"Get me a picture of Oblivion, dad," Harry said.

Lily snatched the tie from James's pocket and scanned it. She looked at the back and she frowned.

"Shield your eyes, Hermione," Remus said. "This is going to get very ugly."

"Lily Evans is the hottest babe in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I wonder how she would look like in a bikini," Lily read aloud. "Call the undertaker, Potter, and maybe a lawyer if you live."

"Lily, my good friend, girlfriend and maybe future wife," James said taking a few slow steps backwards. "You know I didn't mean to write that. It was there ever since, umm, our first year. Yeah, that's right, our first year. I was an exaggerating fool when I was my first year. I wrote that with a very magical type of ink, I couldn't get it off when I tried. Please don't hurt me!"

"Rest in Peace, James Potter, a good friend and a great pain in the ass," Lily said to herself. "I think that will suit as a good article in the Obituary, Potter."

"Can someone, please, help me!" James said.

"Sorry, but you are a destined dead man," Remus said.

"Stop being a smart ass and get this lunatic away from me," James muttered.

"So," Lily said, grabbing James arm in a vice like grip. James winced. "I'm a lunatic, now?"

"Didn't mean it like that, Lily," James said. "Please let go. Lily- Oh my gosh." James's eyes were widened in shock and his mouth was hanging open.

"What?" Lily said.

"This can't possibly be happening," Remus said, back away.

"Goodness," Hermione gasped.

"Can someone tell me," Lily said, turning around. "What-" Lily stopped in mid-sentence as she saw the horrifying beast.

"It's," James said.

"It's," Lily said.

"It's," Remus said.

"GIANT!" Harry yelled.

A twenty foot giant was standing right in front of them, they could see its feet a mile away, hidden by a few trees. Its face was directed to the group as it heard Harry yell. Its eyes widened in excitement and its mouth began to drool. It said a mixture of grunts and roars which echoed through the forest.

"Uh, guys. I don't speak giant, but I think it wants to eat us," James said.

"You think?" Lily said.

The giant gave another roar and advanced clumsily towards them.

James gave a girl-like squeal. "RUN!" Remus yelled.

All of them quickly turned around and all of them began running and stumbling towards the edge of the forest. James stopped and looked around. Lily was standing, frozen with fear. "Lily! Come on if you want to live!" James yelled but Lily didn't seem to have heard him.

The giant raised an enormous hand, attempting to smash Lily. There was a loud thunder like crash, James was thrown back a few feet and dust was flying everywhere. "LILY!" he yelled scrambling to his feet. The dust cleared away, the giant seemed to have missed and had smashed an oak tree, ten feet away from Lily, who was knocked back and was lying on the ground, still frozen with fear.

The giant raised its hand one more time and carefully aimed. It seemed content and its hand began to make its way to the ground. At the same time, James made a run to Lily. The giant's hand was halfway down, James grabbed Lily but she saw too heavy. He dragged her a few feet, the giant's hand was only sixteen feet from them and growing faster by the second. He didn't know what to do. He held Lily tightly, braced for impact, braced for his death. He looked up one more time, one last time, everything was like it was going in slow motion, he breathed in his last breath, the giant's hand was closely approaching, he could count all the wrinkles on it. He closed his eyes and held Lily tighter. The giant's hand was only a few feet away.

James heard someone yell in the distance but he didn't care, he was a dead man. He felt Lily move and gasp for air. The giant's hand was a feet away. He regretted the day he tried to grab Lily's Time Turner, putting his future son in danger, putting him and his friends in danger. He could almost hear Heaven's doors opening for him. For him and Lily. _Goodbye cruel world!_ James thought.

CRASH!

The giant's hand hit the ground and roared triumphantly. Hermione and Remus's faces were hidden behind their hands. They didn't dare to look and see what they mostly feared.

**(A/N: Sorry to leave you all in suspense, but the next chapter is coming soon. Stay tuned)**


	10. Unexpected Events

**(A/N: Sorry for the delay, here's the next chapter)**

Silence, that was the thing James Potter could hear. Wind was blowing through his messy hair, making it look messier than ever. His eyes were still closed. He dares not see what has happened to him. Like all human beings, he was afraid of Death. He couldn't feel Lily in his hands anymore; he became worried and, with hesitation, he opened his eyes.

Bright white light almost blinded him; his eyes took a while to adjust to the sudden change. Lily was nowhere near him. The Sun was shining directly at his face; he shielded his eyes and nervously looked down. He saw the top of a frustrated giant and a vast stretch of tree tops. Someone was holding him. He turned around and saw a young man around his twenties.

The man didn't notice him at first, but after a moment, he looked at James. They stared at each other for a moment. James was the one to break the silence.

"Who are you?" James asked.

"Vell, I'm not an angel, if zat's vot you're thinking," he said smiling. "Viktor Krum, famous Quiddich player of Bulgaria." Viktor did a loopty-loo in the air.

"Show off!" Someone yelled behind him. James looked behind Viktor's back. Harry was on a broomstick, holding Lily tightly. James noticed that he was on a broomstick, too.

"Thought I'd let you die there, didn't you?" Harry said, smiling.

"For a moment," James said, laughing.

"Who want's me to do the Wronski Feint?" Viktor asked.

"Viktor, don't," Harry said.

"What's the-" James asked but he soon found out.

The broomstick jolted and headed to the ground, James went pass a few tree tops and he was completely frightened out of his wits. He actually saw parts of his life flashing in front of his eyes. _Didn't know that could actually happen._ he thought. He saw the ground, he closed his eyes and braced for impact, but it never came. He opened his eyes and found that he was staring at the smiling faces of Hermione and Remus.

James got off the broomstick and tried to balance himself on the ground. But he was still shaken and, feeling as though he was standing on jelly, his legs gave away under the weight. He fell face first into grass. He heard another whoosh and heard Harry's voice. "Viktor, he was almost killed by a twenty foot giant, I didn't think scaring him to death right after was a good idea."

"James, are you alright?" he heard Lily's voice say. He felt himself being pulled up and he saw Lily's concerned face. "James? Hello? Blink your eyes if you can hear me," she said. James blinked. "Oh, thank goodness," she said and hugged him tightly. "Lily," James muttered. "Yes?" Lily asked. "Please don't suffocate me," James said smiling. Lily smiled and loosened her grip. James's head fell back, he smiled and sat up.

A girl Harry didn't recognise was smiling at him. Her hair was jet black and her hazel eyes twinkled when she smiled. Cupid's arrow had pierced through Harry's heart, once again.

**(A/N: Once again, it's love at first sight.)**

The girl walked towards Harry. "Hello," she said.

"H-H-Hi," Harry stammered.

"Can I have my broom back?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure," Harry muttered, giving her the broom.

"Thanks," the girl said. "My name's Rose, by the way."

"Rose," Harry said. "That's a beautiful name."

Rose smiled and her eyes were directed to Harry's scar. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Harry," she said. She walked towards Viktor and Hermione who were having a conversation. Harry listened to them.

"Thank you, Viktor, for rescuing James and Lily," Hermione said.

"It vos my pleasure, Hermy-own-ninny," Viktor said. "Though, it vos an unexpected surprise for me and my sister to meet you here of all places."

"It's a long story," Hermione said. "And it was a long journey."

"Vell, if you vant to stay at my house for awhile, then, you're velcomed," Viktor said.

"Thank you," Hermione said. "Yes, we would love to stay at your house."

Both Hermione and Viktor looked at each other and smiled. Hermione opened her mouth to speak but she was cut off by Ron's voice somewhere behind some trees.

"Sirius, for the last bloody time," Harry heard Ron's voice. "Please, stop touching your butt. It's disturbing."

"Come on, mate," Sirius said. "I can't help it if poison ivy makes my butt itch."

"Can I just have a moment of silence?" Audrey screamed. "It's bad enough that it's a bloody long way to Bulgaria and it would be more tolerable if you two would just shut up!"

Ron, Sirius, Jason and Audrey appeared through a clump of trees. Both teams spotted each other and there was a long moment of silence.

_What the hell is Viktor Krum doing here? _Ron thought.

"So," Sirius said, walking to the group. "What did we miss?"

"A lot," Hermione said.

"Well, sorry," Ron said.

"It's okay," Hermione said.

"Are they with you?" Viktor asked.

"Yes," Hermione said.

"Well, you all are velcomed at my house," Viktor said.

"Even us?" Audrey asked.

"Of course," Viktor asked. "Though I don't zink ze other people will approve bringing centaurs into Bulgaria."

"Hermione, what are you doing?" Remus asked.

Hermione was looking through the bag again. "Looking for a potion," she said, distracted. She stopped and smiled. "Okay, do you two want to be human?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" Jason asked, stunned by the sudden and random question.

"I have a potion here that will change you to human," Hermione said. "It's a very complicated potion to make and I'm surprised there's even one here. But it's permanent. Are you two willing to take the risk to become human for the rest of your lives?"

"Are you joking?" Audrey asked. "I've wanted to become human ever since I can remember. We can finally be one of you. Isn't that wonderful, Jason?"

"This is certainly a nice surprise," Jason said.

"But the herd will not accept you," Hermione said.

"Who cares about the herd?" Jason said. "They've been killing humans and treating them as scum. It's disgusting to even be near them."

"Here you two go," Hermione said giving them each a small vile of a blue, glowing potion. They grimaced at the potion's smell but drank all its contents.

Both Audrey and Jason were surrounded by a blinding sky blue coloured light. The light glowed for a moment and died out. A bewildered pair of humans were left.

"Nice skirt, Jason," Ron said, smiling. Audrey looked at Jason who was wearing a sky blue frilly skirt. She looked down and saw that her tube top had, in a way, grown longer, and she was wearing a white dress.

"Audrey, how do you feel?" Hermione asked.

"Weird," Audrey answered truthfully. "I feel like my back legs have gone numb and I can't feel my tail."

"It's because they're gone," Lily said.

"Can someone get me a decent pair of pants?" Jason asked.

"Well, you won't believe this," Hermione said, laughing, as she looked into the bag. "There are two pairs of jeans and shoes and a few shirts in here. Guess Professor McGonagall forgot to mention that the bag can provide us with clothing."

"Can I, please, have a pair of jeans?" Jason asked.

_After Audrey and Jason have changed…_

"So, let's get going," Viktor said. "Bulgaria is about more than twenty kilometres from here. It was a shorted trip on broomsticks but I don't think all of us can fit on two Firebolts. Viktor turned around and started to walk. The rest of the group followed and Lily and James were walking on each side of him.

"Thanks for rescuing us, Viktor," Lily said.

"You quite velcomed," Viktor said.

"So, you're a Quiddich player?" James asked, interested.

"Yes, I am," Viktor said. "I once played in the Quiddich Vorld Cup."

"Wow," James exclaimed, impressed.

"Is it true that there are Veela in your country?" Lily asked.

"Yes," Viktor said. "Zey were our mascots during the Vorld Cup."

"And we know how that turned out," Ron muttered.

"Ron," Hermione muttered, nudging Ron.

"Sorry," Ron muttered looking at his shoes.

"Are you saying sorry because you are really sorry or because you just found out I'm the one with the food and you are hungry?" Hermione asked.

"All of the above," Ron said.

"Here, Ron," Hermione said, giving the bag to Ron. "Enjoy stuffing your face."

"Thank you," Ron said, taking out and sinking his teeth into a gigantic submarine sandwich.

"Hey, mate," Sirius said. "I'm hungry, too."

But before Sirius could get a bite of Ron's sandwich, there was a loud rustle in the bushed behind them. All of them turned around and backed away slowly as the rustling became louder and they could hear screeches. A group of wild, ferocious looking Hippogriffs jumped out from the bushes and looked at them.

Remus stepped out from the group and looked at the Hippogriffs. The wild creatures looked back at him as he made a low bow. The Hippogriffs screeched again, more loudly this time and started to charge at Remus. "Shit," James muttered.

"RUN!" Remus yelled running in the other direction. The others didn't need to be told twice; they turned around and ran for dear life. "Well, isn't this a déjà vu feeling," Lily said.

"I have a hiding spot to the west," Rose said. All of them turned right and ran towards what looked like a sealed cave. "Look!" Hermione said, pointing not towards the cave, but towards the almost disappeared Sun. Remus shivered as the Sun went down and they were left in the light of many twinkling stars. A small fragment of the moon became visible behind a cloud and Remus stopped in his tracks.

"Vot's he doing?" Viktor asked.

"You don't want to know," James said, also stopping. "Padfoot, help me here."

"You got it," Sirius said and ran towards a shaking Remus.

"Everyone, run into that cave and stay there for the night," James said. "Don't come out no matter what."

Rose took out her wand and muttered a spell. The boulder that was blocking the entrance of the cave rolled away, revealing a dark passage. Everyone started to run in. "See you in the morning," Ron said as he disappeared into the entrance. When all of them were safely inside, Rose muttered another spell and the boulder rolled back into place. They all heard a piercing roar and then a wolf howl. They could hear the frightened screeches of Hippogriffs. Some thing rammed against the boulder and scratched at it. There was a thump and another howl as the creature was knocked back. "Now, vould someone tell me what just happened?" asked a confused and bewildered Viktor.

**(A/N: Thank you all reviewers. Please press the review button and type. Thank you!)**


	11. Meeting the Krums

**(A/N: This is the next chapter, please Read and Review)**

A loud sound echoed throughout the dark cave. A disgusting smell followed. The people trapped inside were unaware of it until it strikes. Screams and shrieks echoed throughout the cave. It was dark and stuffy. The floor was hard and cold. Someone was screaming the words, "Window!" at the top of his or her voice while a bushy haired girl was screamed in disgust.

"RON!" Hermione said. "Why did you have to make that submarine sandwich with beans, cauliflower and tuna?"

"I like the taste," Ron muttered, embarrassed.

"Well, you should spare us from the amazing farting basement," Harry gasped. He was pressed against the wall and couldn't breathe properly and Ron's sudden burst of 'toxic' fumes was making him sick.

"So Hermione, let me get this dilemma straight," Rose said. "Remus is a verewolf and those two are Animagi. All of you are going to Ruby Mountains?"

"Yes," Hermione said in a funny voice because she was pinching her nose.

"But who are they?" Viktor asked. "I didn't see them ven I visited Hogvarts a few years ago."

"They're Harry's cousins and they wanted to visit him," Lily said, quickly. "And I'm their friend."

"More like girlfriend," Harry muttered. "Oww!" Harry exclaimed as Lily elbowed him.

"This is disastrous!" Hermione said.

"You mean more like before?" Lily said sarcastically.

"I think I see the Sun shining," Rose said as reddish sunlight spilled in through the cracks of the cave. She muttered the spell and the boulder rolled away. The sun was rising and three teenage boys were staggering towards them.

"Had a nice night?" James asked.

"If you call, uncomfortable and smelly, nice then yes," Harry said.

"Come on," Viktor said. "My father vould probably be vorried sick about me and my sister."

"He vould vorry most about you, Viktor," Rose muttered. "He vouldn't vant his little Quiddich player to get lost, von't he?"

"It's because I'm the eldest sibling," Viktor said, still walking.

"Only be two minutes," Rose said. "And you never let me forget it," she muttered under her breath.

Viktor ignored Rose. "So, who vants to play Truth or Dare while ve valk," he said.

"Who are you and what have you done with the real Viktor Krum?" Sirius asked.

Viktor sniggered. "I vos just joking," he said. "Anyway, my home is just past that big green boulder over there."

Everyone gave a sigh of relief. All of them were thinking of the same thing; a decent bath, a decent homemade dinner, some dry, clean clothes and a warm bed to spend the night in. They reached the boulder in a matter of seconds. Viktor pushed away a few leaves and walked on. Everyone followed him closely. When all of them were out of the forest, the first thing they saw was a beautiful, gigantic, four story mansion. "This, everyone is our home," Viktor said. "You're velcomed to stay for as long as you vant."

"Viktor," Hermione gasped. "Your house is beautiful."

"Thank you," Viktor said as he continued to walk.

They found themselves at the door of the mansion in a few minutes. Before Viktor could even touch the brass doorknob, they overheard loud voices of two people, who Harry thought were Viktor's parents.

"Vair is he?" a female voice said. "He vos gone for the whole night, he could be lost in the forest or injured by those horrible Hippogriffs."

"Calm down," a male voice said. "I'm sure that he is quite fine. He probably went to deep into the forest and maybe he could be just standing on the porch vith his sister."

"Don't try to calm me down vith those false lies," the female voice said.

"Vell, if you don't believe me, look at the porch yourself," the male voice said. "I can see him and his sister and they've brought friends." All of them looked at the big window at the side of the mansion and saw the smiling face of Mr. Krum and the worried, concerned face of Mrs. Krum. Mrs. Krum dashed to the door and hastily opened it. She grabbed and hugged Viktor and Rose tightly.

"Thank goodness," she kept muttering. "Thank goodness you two are safe. I was about to call the whole village for a search party."

"Mum," Viktor choked out. "Mum, we're okay."

Mrs. Krum let go of her children. She looked at them, then at Harry and the rest. "Mum, these are our friends, they have been on a long journey," Viktor said.

"We thought it vill be alright if they stay here for avhile," Rose said.

"Of course it vould be alright," Mrs. Krum said. "They look like they've been through a lot. Come in, all of you."

Harry and the other nervously stepped inside. Mrs. Krum led them up two flights of stairs, pass a few hallways decorated with paintings, towards three opened doors. Behind each door was an enormous room, each with three four poster beds.

"Each room its own bathroom and a vardrobe filled with spare clothes," Mrs. Krum said. "Get a bath and change your clothes. Put your dirty clothes in the baskets beside the bathroom door. They vill be vashed and vill be clean by tomorrow. I'll see all of you in an hour for lunch, ve vill be eating lunch at the veranda." Mrs. Krum turned around and walked around a corner. They could hear the sound of her high heels going down the stairs.

"Well, it looks like three of us in one room," James said. All of them nodded. "Dibs on this room," he said and rushed into a room. Sirius and Remus followed him. Soon, there came shouts of, "Dibs on this bed" and "Dibs on these clothes."

Harry, Ron and Jason looked at each other and raced towards the door to the left and there was soon more shouts. "Boys are so immature," Lily said. "Boys will be boys," Audrey said. "They will never grow up," Hermione added. All three of them looked at each other, smiled and dashed into the room to the right which walls were painted a light shade of pink. "Wow," Audrey said.

_After everyone's bath…_

All of them came out of their rooms at the same time, wearing the selection of clothes that were left for them. "So," James said. "Who knows where the veranda is?" There was a moment of silence. "Looks like, Prongs, that we have to wing it or flip a coin," Sirius said.

"Or we could just look out this window," Lily said. All of them pressed their noses on the glass. They saw the Mr. and Mrs. Krum outside sitting around a round table. Viktor and Rose walked out and sat down beside them and they were all now waiting for their nine guests to join them.

They walked down the flight of stairs and turned to their left. They walked out of the French doors and onto the veranda. "Good afternoon," Mr. Krum said. "Please, sit down."

Hermione sat down next to Viktor. Ron glared at her as he sat in between Harry and Sirius. When all of them had settled down, six house elves came from the kitchen; they walked towards the table and arranged the plates, glasses and cutlery. They gave low bow and went in. They came out again holding platters of mouth-watering dishes and a jug of orange juice. They positioned the dishes on the table, gave another low bow and walked away back into the kitchen.

Once all of them were full and the dessert was gone, Mr. and Mrs. Krum stood up and walked from the table. The eleven teenagers began to have a conversation as the house elves cleared away the remains of the food. "So, you all are on you vay to Ruby Mountains?" Viktor said.

"And then, you are going to the Ministry of Magic," Rose said.

"Into the Department of Mysteries," Viktor said. All of them nodded. "And vhy are you going there for?" he asked.

"Ask no questions and we'll tell you no lies," Sirius said.

"And ve vill not stop that journey," Viktor said. "Von't ve, Rose?"

Rose kept quiet for a moment. She looked at her brother and nodded. She looked a little glum. She stood up. "Excuse me," she muttered before walking into the door. She threw a dirty look at and closed the door. Viktor didn't seem to notice that and began a conversation with Hermione. "I think I'll go to the room," Ron muttered and walked into the mansion.

Ron walked pass Rose's room, towards his room. Before he had reached for the doorknob, he heard Rose talking. He turned around and to walked to the front of Rose's room. He could hear her muffled voice. He pressed his ear against the door and listened.

"Vot does he mean by dragging a group of veirdos in this house," Rose said. "I think they vere the vuns that Draco vas talking about. He vos alvays telling me how intolerable they vere. I didn't believe him but I know now." Ron froze. Rose and Malfoy were friends. He couldn't believe it. He was jerked back to reality when Rose seemed to be talking to someone.

"Draco," Rose said. "Good timing."

"What do you mean?" he could hear Malfoy's voice.

"Harry Potter, the Mudblood and the Weasley are here," Rose said. "They seemed to have been on a journey."

Ron opened the door a little. He saw the back of Rose who was kneeling in front the fireplace. The fire had taken shape of Draco Malfoy's head. Ron gasped. He sneaked into her room to get a better look. He hid behind Rose's bed just in time. Rose turned around and saw the opened door. She closed, locked and put a charm on it.

"Are you sure it's them?" Malfoy said.

"How many wizards have a lightning bolt shaped scar on their forehead?" Rose asked sarcastically.

Malfoy chuckled. "Hold on a minute," Malfoy said. There was a green light and Draco Malfoy appeared in Rose's fireplace. Ron's eyes widened. "So, what was this about Harry Potter?" Draco asked sitting on the bed. Ron panicked and scrambled under the bed.

"Vell, he vants to go to Ruby Mountains and then to the Ministry of Magic," Rose said.

"Do you know why?" Draco asked. Rose shook her head. "Were there others with them?"

"Yes, six others," Rose said.

"Did any of these six look like him?" Draco asked.

"One of them," Rose said.

"Well, he's up to something, I know it," Draco said, standing up and walking towards the fireplace. "But, what?"

"I don't know," Rose said.

"Well, the Dark Lord wants him dead," Draco said. "You need to find out what they're up to and then kill Harry Potter on the way there. Frame one of his friends."

Ron had heard enough, he crept out of the bed and saw Draco and Rose staring at the fire, both in deep thought. Ron sneaked to the door and grabbed the doorknob. He turned it but it was locked. "Alohomora," Ron whispered tapping the door, but nothing happened. "Alohomora. Alohomora!" he muttered loudly. He shook the doorknob loudly. "Incarcerous!" he heard Malfoy say.

Before Ron knew it, he was on the floor, tied up. Malfoy and Rose were at his side, looking at him angrily. "What were you doing there, Weasley?" Malfoy said. "Spying?"

"None of you business, Malfoy," Ron said.

"Well, you are going to tell us everything," Malfoy said.

"Who are those other people, vhy do you vant to get to Ruby Mountains, vot do you all vant with the Ministry of Magic and vhy you do vant to get there so fast," Rose said.

"I'm not telling you traitors anything," Ron said angrily, trying to get out of his tight binds.

"Then we'll do this interrogation the hard way," Malfoy said. "Crucio!" he said, his wand pointing at Ron.

**(A/N: Thing just get more and more unexpected, don't they? Look out for the next chapter and press the review button while you're waiting.)**


	12. A Fallen Hero and Dirty Traitors

**(A/N: Sorry for the delay, writer's block and I'm sick. My medicine made me all light headed and groggy. On with the story, read and review!)**

"Shut him up," Malfoy said. "He'll attract unwanted attention."

Rose took out a piece of cloth and stuffed it in Ron's mouth.

"Weasley," Malfoy said taking the curse of him again. "Who are those other people?"

But Ron was already knocked out by the curse. Rose groaned and took out the piece of cloth. Ron's head hung limply but still breathing. "Do you think he vos tortured to insanity?" Rose asked, looking up at Malfoy.

"No," Malfoy said walking away and looking at the fire once more. "My aunt told me that when someone has gone crazy by the Cruciatus Curse, they wouldn't faint." Malfoy walked towards Ron and looked at him with disgust. "Weakling," he said, kicking Ron's side.

"Vell, vot are ve going to do now?" Rose asked.

"We put him in his room and put a Memory Charm on him," Malfoy said as though he was telling a child what two plus two is. Malfoy took out a bag of Floo Powder and took a handful. He threw it in to the fire and said, "The Slytherin Common Room." He disappeared into the flickering green flames.

Rose untied Ron. She grabbed his waist and dragged him to her door. She unlocked the door and dragged Ron, with difficulty, to his room. She pulled him onto the bed and took out her wand. She muttered the Memory Charm. Ron twitched a little in his sleep but remained in deep slumber. Rose walked out of his room and closed the door. As she tuned around, she bumped into Harry. Harry and the others, having finished their lunch, had gone upstairs to check on Ron and Rose.

"Rose, what were you doing in Ron's room?" Hermione asked.

"I vos just checking on Ron," Rose said. "Now if you vill excuse me." Rose walked past them and into her room.

All of them shrugged and walked into their own rooms. Harry took out a wizard chess set and began teaching Jason how to play as Ron snored from the bed. Jason was playing well but he kept saying the names of the pieces wrongly.

"So, the quill is the best piece to play but the kong is the important one?" Jason asked after their game. He was holding the queen and king pieces.

"Correct, but it's called a queen and king, not a quill and kong," Harry said covering his mouth to hide his wide grin.

Jason nodded. "And what about the sweetshop and porn?" he asked holding up the bishop and pawn. That was too much, Harry fell from his chair, laughing. Jason shrugged and looked at the chess pieces.

Ron stirred in his sleep. He woke up with a start. "What happened?" he asked. He had woken up from a dream but it wasn't a dream, it was so real. He could remember flashes of it, Malfoy, Rose, kill Harry, pain.

"Nothing, Ron," Harry said in between laughs. "Just teaching Jason how to play wizard chess."

"Oh," Ron said. Then the memories broke through the weak Memory Charm and flooded his mind. "Oww," Ron said holding his head. "Harry, Rose is trying to kill you!" Ron said.

"What?" Harry asked.

"She's friends with Malfoy!" Ron said.

"Excuse me?" Harry asked. "How would she know Malfoy?"

"I don't know," Ron said. "But- but-"

"Ron, I think you just had a crazy nightmare," Harry said laughing.

"But she- and he- want to kill you," Ron said.

"Listen, Ron," Harry said. "Rose is a nice girl, she wouldn't be with scum like Malfoy."

"But-," Ron began.

"Maybe it was just a misunderstanding," Harry said.

"But I saw her talk to Malfoy," Ron said. "Malfoy used Floo Powder and came here."

"Ron, I think you need rest," Harry said. "You're tired."

"But-but-," Ron said.

"You…need…rest," Harry said slowly.

Ron sighed and fell back on the pillow. He was thinking, maybe it was a dream, a bad dream, a nightmare.

_But Ron didn't know how wrong he was…_

"I can't believe you were friends with him," Hermione screamed, clearly giving away her cover.

"Not again," Rose said. "Incarcerous," she said. The ropes missed Hermione and she sped to Harry's room.

"Harry, Harry," Hermione said, frantically.

"What happened?" Harry asked.

"Rose, planning with Malfoy," Hermione gasped out. "Death, Harry, death!"

Harry raised an eyebrow. Ron fell from the bed shouting, "I told you so."

"Is everyone going against me?" Harry asked. "What is with everyone and Rose?"

"Uh, guys," Ron said. He was hearing shouts from the other rooms.

"Harry, you've got to believe me," Hermione said. "Rose is bad news, we've got to get out of this house. She's going to murder you. She is friends with Malfoy!"

"Guys," Ron said. The shouts became louder.

Harry raised his eyebrow higher. "What are you and Ron planning?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked. "Rose wants you dead, do you not under stand that?" Hermione had grabbed Harry's shoulders and she was now shaking him.

"Guys!" Ron said, frantically. The shouts were gone.

"Stop being silly," Harry said.

"I am not being silly!" Hermione said. "Rose, is-"

"I am vot?" someone said from the door. All of them looked around. Rose was standing in the door way with none other than Draco Malfoy.

"What the hell are you doing with him?" Harry asked.

"Plan B, Potter," Malfoy said coolly. "Since the Mudblood got away with information and the Weasel broke through the Memory Charm," he cast a look at Rose. "We decided to kill you here and now."

"You mean they were telling the truth?" Harry said.

"You should trust your friends, Potter," Malfoy said. "It may cost you your life. Like it cost hers."

"What do you mean by that?" Jason suddenly said.

"What do I mean by that," Malfoy said, laughing. "I attacked the others first including her family, one of them was not cooperating and sadly, she went." Malfoy raised his finger to his neck.

"Which one?" Harry asked.

Malfoy smirked. "Show them the body," he said.

Rose nodded and walked away. She came back moments later holding the limp, lifeless body. Harry and Ron gasped, Hermione looked away. Audrey was dead.

"You monster!" Jason yelled. He tackled the surprised Malfoy to the ground.

"Kill him!" Malfoy said.

"Well, hold still," Rose said. "None from you!" she said. "Perficus totalus!" Ron, Harry and Hermione froze.

"How can I bloody hold still?" Malfoy screamed.

"You know, you have a good point," Rose said.

"You killed her!" Jason yelled, tears now running down his cheeks.

"Hold him still!" Rose screamed.

Malfoy and Jason were furiously fighting. "Do you think I'm trying?" Malfoy yelled.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Someone had shouted the curse, someone fell to the ground, lifeless. Who is the killer? Who is the victim?

**(A/N: Please review. Sorry to leave you in suspense again, in the next chapter, who shall and who shall die?)**


	13. Lost Two, Gained One

**(A/N: Sorry for the last cliffy. Seems that all my clifhangers have some thing to do with death. I'm sorry for that, by the way. On with the story)**

Rose fell to the ground with a thump. Her wand rolled out of her hand and her eyes stared blankly at the ceiling. Her hair swayed in the wind, and settled down, covering a part of her face. Her lips slowly turned blue and her emotionless face looked at the person who had just committed murder. Murder is such a harsh word. It was more of an unwanted death, a missed spell.

Harry and the others fell to the ground, freed by the jinx, but didn't react fast enough. "Avada kedavra," Malfoy shouted again. Jason fell to the ground, his face blank and tear stained face looked at Harry, as though wishing him luck. Malfoy grimaced as he painfully got up; he wiped some blood from his mouth and advanced towards the trio.

The three of them ran out of the room. Harry and Ron quickly ran out of the door and headed towards the stairs but Hermione stopped. She quickly grabbed the door and locked it.

"Guys," Hermione said. "Where are the others?" She pushed her back against the door to prevent Malfoy getting out. He, on the other hand, had, in some way, forgotten he had a wand and was banging against the wall, trying to get out the Muggle way. "Hurry!" she said.

Harry looked at the door, then at Rose's room. Without thinking, he opened the door. Inside, the rest of them, including Viktor's family, were all tied up and gagged on the floor.

"I think I found them," Harry said.

Ron dashed from the stairway. He rushed into the room and untied the rest of them.

"They killed someone!" Lily said as her binds were taken off.

"They vere traitors!" Viktor said.

"They killed Audrey!" Remus said.

"My butt itches!" Sirius moaned.

Everyone looked at him. "Excuse me?" Ron asked.

There was a crash and a scream. Hermione had ran into the room. All of them looked behind their back and saw Draco Malfoy at the doorway, looking furious. "Enough fooling around!" he said. "You're dead, Potter!"

Malfoy made a move towards them. His wand was pointing directly at Harry. "Accio wand!" Lily said. Malfoy's wand zoomed out of his hand, into Lily's.

"Get him!" Sirius said.

James, Lily, Sirius, Remus, Ron, Harry, Hermione and, surprisingly, Viktor charged at him.

"Oh, shit," Malfoy squeaked.

The eight of them had jumped at Malfoy and had pinned him to the ground. Mr. and Mrs. Krum were still shocked, but smiled. Mrs. Krum ran out of the room, took a quill and parchment and quickly scribbled a letter to the Ministry of Magic.

_After the Ministry of Magic and a very angry Malfoy…_

All of them stood outside, at the doorway, waving to a very angry Malfoy as two Aurors dragged him away. "Send my regards to your dad, Malfoy!" Harry said.

"I swear, Potter. I will get out of Azkaban and when I will, I'll-" Malfoy yelled before he was Apparated away.

"So, on with the journey?" Lily asked. Harry nodded.

"You're leaving already?" Mrs. Krum asked.

"Yeah, sorry we couldn't stay longer and sorry for your loss," Ron said.

"Viktor, darling, you should follow them," Mrs. Krum said.

"It vould be a good adventure for you," Mr. Krum said.

Viktor shrugged and said, "Do you guys mind?"

"Not at all," Ron said, surprising everyone. "But do you mind? It's a pretty long journey and it's going to be dangerous."

"I vouldn't if you vouldn't," Viktor said.

"Off you go," Mr. Krum said.

"Bye, dad, bye, mum," Viktor said, hugging his parents.

"Bye, darling," Mrs. Krum said.

Viktor smiled and walked over to them. "So," Viktor said. "Mind telling me who you all really are?"

James, Lily, Remus and Sirius nodded at Harry. Harry led the group out of the front yard and gave the map to James for him to lead the group. James made a saluting gesture and began leading them. Harry turned to Viktor and took a deep breath.

"Well, they are from the past, they sort of got some trouble from a Time Turner and got sent to the future," Harry said the last part slowly.

"And now we're going to Ruby Mountains to get a Pheonix feather," Lily said.

"And we're going to the Ministry of Magic," James continued.

"In-who re De-pout-men oof Misery," Sirius said, his mouth full of sandwich.

"Into the room which contains a Time Machine," Remus said. "And all of us will be on our way back."

"But it needs a phoenix feather to work," Harry finished.

"It's okay if you don't believe us," Ron said. "It seems a little too crazy."

"Vell, I'm not sure about the truth at the moment since there have been traitors and deaths in my house, but seeing is believing," Viktor said.

"Who's thirsty?" Hermione asked.

"I am," everyone said in unison.

Hermione handed Butterbeers to everyone and all of them began drinking.

"So, who vants to visit Professor Umbrige?" Viktor asked.

Bad idea, everyone spat out their Butterbeer. Sirius began coughing.

"She's here?" Ron asked.

"She lives in a very quiet cottage not far away, but she's a little," Sirius raised his finger to his ear and made the 'she's nutty' gesture. "Since an incident with some centaurs."

Harry and Hermione snorted in their Butterbeers. "No thanks," Ron said.

"You knew Professor Umbrige?" Viktor asked.

"Tried taking over Hogwarts," Ron said.

"Gave me this scar," Harry said raising his right arm.

"Taught Defence Against the Dark Arts in a lousy manner," Hermione mumbled.

"Student teacher," James, Lily, Sirius and Remus said in unison. "Horrible student teacher." They added.

"True," Viktor said. "She's a little loony now, forget I ever made that suggestion."

"Forgotten," Ron said.

"Hey, Bulgaria is on the map," James said. "Another route is appearing and now Bulgaria is on the map. Cool, but only a small fragment of Bulgaria is on it."

"Yes, ve are just crossing a small corner, of the country," Viktor said.

"We are supposed to cross," James looked at the map closely. "Sadanski."

"And more crazy and dangerous places are appearing," Lily said. "How could I not see that coming?"

"No more spiders, no more spiders, no more spiders," Ron was muttering.

"Then after all the dangerous places, we have to take a Portkey," James continued. "That's where Viktor comes in."

"Vot do you mean?" Viktor asked.

"We can't speak the language," Lily said.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot," Viktor asked. "Vare do ve take the Portkey to?"

"Another country is forming," James said, looking at the map. "That's a big country, a lot of land to cross."

Everyone was looking at the map, all eager to see their next destination. Words began to form on the map. The name of the country formed. Little labelled dot formed, symbolizing the states and cities. The others were shocked by the country and kept staring at the name as though expecting something about it to magically change.

"Oh my," Hermione said.

"O-kaay," Ron said. "So, we are getting very close to Ruby Mountains."

"Cool," James said. "Sushi!"

"James, you dunderhead, sushi is from Japan," Lily said.

"We're going to," Harry said.

"China," everyone said in unison.

**(A/N: Didn't see that coming, didn't you? The Phoenix is Chinese mythology. And where better to find a phoenix than China. I would have chosen Malaysia but, it's more Malay than Chinese here. Read and review, if there are any suggestions to the story, I'm all ears)**


	14. Unexpected Visitors

**(A/N: Thank you all for reviewing and giving your comments. I am sorry for killing off a few characters in the last chappy but I will make up for the loss of Jason and Audrey. This one is kinda short, but the unexpected events are just beginning!)**

"So, we'll continue on our journey, then?" Lily said, looking at the map interestedly. "I always wanted to go to Shanghai."

James shrugged at his girlfriends weird dreams. "So, starting here, magic is useless," James said. He took out his wand and flicked it. A few sparks and a drop of water came out.

"And what spell you are attempting today, Mr. Prongs?" Sirius asked enthusiastically.

"That was supposed to be a non-verbal Aguamenti Charm," James said. "Want to see Levicorpus?"

"No, thanks," Lily said.

"Anywho, we have to pass a village after we walk a two day walk across this Endless Plain of Boredom," James said.

"Is that really the name of this place?" Hermione asked.

"No, I just thought that would be a really great name for it," James said. "It's just a stretch of land, no scary creatures, no weird flowers of any other plant that is magical, no rampaging Hippogriffs and most certainly no-"

"Fred and George?" Ron said, suddenly.

"I was going to say giants but I'll go with that," James said. "Who are Fred and George?"

"We're Fred and George," two boys said behind them. Everyone spun around. Two boys with shocking red hair, similar to Ron's, were smiling. Both appeared to be twins.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Ron asked.

"Just a bit o' exploring," Fred said.

"And what, my little baby brother, are you doing here?" George asked.

"We're here on a mission," Hermione said.

"A mission of Boredom," James said.

"Nice one, Prongs," Sirius said.

"How did you know that name?" Fred asked.

"What, Prongs?" James asked. "That's my nickname."

"You can't be serious," George said.

"Ah-ah-ah," Lily said quickly as Sirius opened his mouth.

"What are you lot doing here anyway?" Ron asked. "There is no such thing as innocently questing when Fred and George are mentioned."

"Fine," Fred said. "We're just looking for some interesting things to sell."

"Anything worth something," George said.

"Unicorn hairs," Fred said.

"Some weird flowers," George said.

"Spider's venom," Fred said.

"Phoenix feathers," George said.

"And does mum know about this?" Ron asked.

"Does mum know about this?" George said.

"Good point," Ron muttered.

"Who's at the shop?" Harry asked.

"Our assistant," Fred said plainly.

"They have a shop?" Remus asked.

"A joke shop," Fred said.

"A joke shop?" Sirius and James asked.

"Who are those two?" Viktor whispered to Hermione.

"Ron's brothers," Hermione whispered.

"Are they joining us?" Viktor asked.

"That's a good idea!" Sirius said.

"If that's okay with you," James said to Harry.

"The more the merrier," Harry said.

"So, where are you lot headed to?" Fred asked.

"Ruby Mountains," James said.

"Wow," George said. "Thought that was a myth, the place where Phoenixes roam free."

"And where fire burns forever," Fred said.

"Mind introducing us to the others?" George asked, eying Lily.

"That's Lily, and she's taken," Harry said, George looked crestfallen. "This is James, Remus and Sirius."

"We come in piece, and from the past," Sirius said.

"Sirius," Lily said.

"The past you say?" George asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You know when you guys gave me a map," Harry said.

"Yeah," They both said.

"And it used to belong to Padfoot, Prongs, Moony and Wormtail," Harry said.

"Yeah," both of them said.

"That's them," Harry said. "Except for Wormtail, though."

"Wicked," Fred said.

George was taking this shock very well. He was shaking hands with the unsuspecting James, Sirius and Remus. "It's very nice to meet you," he said. The three Marauders looked at Harry.

"He and his brother found your map, in this time," Harry said.

"Can I ask you a question?" George asked.

"Yeah," Sirius said.

"Were you really in love with Rita Skeeter," George said.

"What makes you say that?" Sirius said.

"Because we took a peep at Harry's map when a few years ago, during the Triwizard Tournament. Sorry, Harry," George said. "And we saw Rita Skeeter's name."

"Dotted with hearts," Fred finished.

Sirius went red in the face. He mumbled something about a turkey and walked over to James.

"What did he say?" Fred asked.

Harry shrugged. "So, anyways," he said. "Any of you know how to speak Chinese? No? No."

"No," everyone chorused.

"Time travel?" George said.

"Amazing," Fred said.

"I think I saw the name 'James' somewhere," George said.

"It's on the Quidditch section of the Trophy Cabinet," Fred said.

"No, that James had the name Potter at the end," George said. "And that couldn't be…"

"It is," Harry mumbled.

"You mean Prongs is," Fred said.

"And your dad is," George said.

"The same person," both of them said in unison.

"Cool," Fred said.

"We knew we like something about you Harry that we always liked," George said.

"You are the son of Prongs," Fred said.

"One of the Marauders," George said.

"One of the geniuses who made the map," Fred said.

"One of the people who were calling you lot to eat for the past fifteen minutes," James said from behind them.

"Great, I'm starving," George said.

**(A/N: The author is just one very unexpected girl. One minute, Viktor Krum talking about Umbrige, the next minute, Fred and George come into the picture. Yes, they are the real Fred and George, not fakes with Polyjuice Potion. Please Read and Review)**


	15. A Night Time Talk

**(A/N: Thank you all nice reviewers, a lot of people seem to like Gred and Forge, I mean, Fred and George. Who wouldn't? After they did to Umbridge, everyone should give them a good pat on the back and buy something from their shop. On with the story! Sorry so short, I just had a case of writer's block)**

Sleeping with the twins around wasn't really what you would call comfortable. Harry, being woken up for the fifth time that night, was surprised to find Lily sitting on a spot a few feet away from the sleeping bag site. She was looking at the beautiful stars above. Harry, not wanting to intrude, rested his head on what he thought was his sleeping bag pillow.

As he closed his eyes, he felt a jerk at his head. He chose to ignore it and closed his eyes. Suddenly, Fred's foot gave another jerk and Harry's head fell on the soft grass. Harry sat up again and, giving up completely, walked over to Lily and sat by her side. She jumped and looked at Harry. She smiled, "Had a nice sleep?" Harry smiled, "Not really, Fred's foot just won a battle against my head."

"I know what you mean, George's foot just made the domino effect," Lily said. "Kicked James head and I fell out of my sleeping bag." Lily laughed and looked at the sky. "The stars are beautiful tonight."

"Yes, they are, I've never seen the sky this way before," Harry said. "Normally, there would be a lot of lights and some stars wouldn't be seen."

Lily began to giggle. "What's so funny?" Harry asked.

"It's just so," Lily said. "Weird. Here I am talking to my son who is practically older than me."

"I'm only seventeen," Harry said.

"Well, I wish I could've seen you grow up," Lily said. "But I would just see it from above. Not up close, I can't hug you or congratulate you."

Harry looked at Lily. Her eyes were beginning to water.

"How was life without me or James?" Lily asked.

"Pretty horrible," Harry said. "Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon treated me as if I was a slave. That is, until they found out I was a wizard, then they just ignored me."

"Tunia always hated me when all of us found out I was a witch," Lily said, laughing. "D'you say she married Vernon?" Harry nodded. Lily laughed again, her eyes brimming with tears.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked as a tear trickled down her face.

"It's just," Lily said, her voice cracking. "I just want to prevent my death. I don't want to sit down with James in a house, looking at the calendar, waiting for the date that we were dreading." Harry just kept quiet, the only sound now was Lily's occasional sob and Ron and Sirius's snoring.

"Just tell me a way," Lily said, now letting her tears run down her face. "Just one, how am I supposed to prepare?"

"Um-uh…" Harry said. He found himself keeping quiet.

"What is so hard about telling me just one thing?" Lily asked. "Just one sentence. One word if you want, but just tell me."

"I can't mess with time," Harry said, feeling very uncomfortable at the moment. "It's one of the important wizarding ru-"

"You are James Potter's son," Lily said, calmer this time. "You must've inherited a little bit of his rebellious pranking or maybe his stupid 'rules are made to be broken' rule."

"Just a little," Harry said, truthfully.

"Well, use that little bit of James to tell me," Lily said, her voice completely calm.

"I can't," Harry said.

"Why?" Lily said. "What is the reason you aren't telling me information that might be an advantage to your life."

"Because-" Harry began but was cut off as Hermione suddenly woken up.

"Harry!" Hermione said.

"Of that," Harry mumbled.

"You know you are not supposed to reveal any more of the future to them," Hermione said as though she was scolding a six year old child. Hermione had gotten up and was now walking towards Harry.

"It would completely alter your life," Hermione said. "You probably wouldn't even meet us, if they get back-"

"If we get back?" Lily asked sadly. "So, you aren't so supportive of us getting back?"

"No, I didn't mean it like that," Hermione said. "It was just that Harry-"

"Was completely going by the rules," Lily said calmly. "I was desperately asking him to tell, but no, he didn't tell me even though he clearly wanted to."

"Well," Hermione said, completely speechless. "Continue with your not rule breaking conversation, then." Hermione turned around and walked towards her sleeping bag. She let out a huge yawn before going back to bed.

"Well," Harry began but Lily raised a hand, silencing him.

"No, it was selfish of me to ask you all those uncomfortable questions," Lily said.

"So, we're okay?" Harry asked.

Lily smiled at him. "We're okay," she said before gazing at the sky again.

"Well, goodnight, Lily," Harry said. Lily nodded and Harry got up. He walked over to his sleeping bag. As his eyes drooped, Lily called out to him.

"It's not polite to call your parents by their first name," she said.

"Well, goodnight, mum," Harry said. He saw Lily give him a watery smile right before his sleepy-ness got the better of him. _Why almost all the girls I talk to cry? _That was the first thought in Harry's mind before he went to sleep.

_Harry wakes up…_

"Come on Harry!" Ron said. He appeared to be in a life preserver and he was holding an oar. "We aren't getting anywhere in this canoe if you fall asleep halfway down Cryer's Stream."

"What's Cryer's stream?" Harry asked, helping Ron paddle as they white water rafted past jagged rocks.

"It's a stream where water is always running and it can magically make you see the last person who cried to you," Ron said, he paused and a dreamy look came to his face. "Mum never looked so sad."

A scene flashed before Harry's eyes. "Just tell me," Lily said, her hands covering her eyes. "Why won't you tell me?"

Suddenly, there was a jerk and the scene ended. Ron had also felt the jerk and had fallen into the stream. "RON!" Harry screamed. Ron's red hair appeared in the white foam like a beacon but disappeared a moment later. The canoe began jerking again and again. Harry felt himself fall off the canoe and into the river.

'The life preserver will help me,' Harry thought. Suddenly, he saw that he was wearing Padma Patil's dress and the wet cloth was dragging him deeper into the abnormally deep stream. He saw Ron in the clear depths of the stream. He was wearing his frilly dress robes and was asking for a dance. A rock that looked like Hermione's screaming head suddenly fell from the surface and knocked him on the head.

_BANG!_

Harry fell from his pillow from the sixth time and looked around. Lily had gone to bed and the Sun was slowly rising. Harry rubbed the sides of his head. 'That was the craziest dream I have ever had,' Harry thought. His head pounded from the dream, or maybe it was just because of Fred's foot. Harry didn't care, he just wanted it to end. 'Reminder, never sleep next to Fred or George ever again!' he thought. 'They give me nightmares.'

**(A/N: Had you there, didn't I? The dream was just something I put in so that the chapter wouldn't be too boring. Read and Review!)**


	16. Twin Reaction

**(A/N: Thank you, all of you for reviewing. Please do the same!)**

The determined group of travellers continue on their quest for the Phoenix feather. Three of them walked blindly and sleepily due to the late night conversation and twin's feet last night.

"Had a nice sleep?" Fred asked enthusiastically as they passed complete nothing-ness on a boring path.

"Not really," Harry, James and Lily said in unison.

"I woke up with a big headache this morning," James said, yawning. "Couldn't explain it." Harry and Lily exchanged smirks.

"I'm getting bored," George said after a few minutes of walking.

"Well, you won't be for long," James said. "We're closing on an," he paused and checked the map again for typos, needless to say, there were none. "Enchanted active volcano."

"A what?" Lily asked, jerking to reality.

"An active volcano," James said. "Honestly, how many volcanoes are there in Bulgaria?"

"Ve are not in Bulgaria anymore," Viktor said.

"Who says?" James asked.

"The map," Viktor said, pointing to a borderline on the map that separated Bulgaria from Greece.

"I knew that," James said.

"No you didn't," Lily said in a sing-song voice.

"Well, anyway, the volcano is a few miles away," James said.

"I think I see it," George said.

"Where?" Sirius asked.

"The pointy top of a fiery red mountain, little one," George said.

"Is that a way to talk to your mentor?" Sirius asked.

"Yes, if the 'mentor' is a few years younger," Fred said.

"Stupid age difference," Sirius muttered under his breath.

"Yes, age difference is stupid," Fred said.

"But it also can be helpful," George added.

"That's the way we get to decide stuff," Fred said.

"Who's going to test our products first," George said.

"Who gets to pull the first prank on a boring teacher," Fred said.

"Who gets to eat the last piece of mom's cooking," George continued, counting off the fingers of his hand.

"Who gets to prank Ron when were bored," Fred said.

"Who gets to pin a fake spider on Ron's undies," George said smirking.

"So it was you who did that," Ron said, blushing as the others sniggered.

"Okay, everyone has to keep quiet," James said as they arrived at the foot of the volcano. "This volcano only erupts when there is a very loud noise, for example, your voice. We have to walk around it quietly."

They cautiously walked past the foot of the volcano, all of them keeping as quiet as possible. There was a moment of silence; it seemed that nothing could go wrong, at least, until Sirius accidentally stepped on a twig. A small snap echoed; the volcano rumbled, ready to expel its contents. The rumbling slowed down and there was a puffing noise as a storm of ash came from the volcano and rained down upon the group.

All of them took out their handkerchiefs and quickly pressed them on their mouths and noses. Fred breathed in deeply through the handkerchief, unfortunately, there was a hole in it and the ash went up his nose. "Ah-ah-ah," Fred said. "No, no, no," everyone whispered. "Haa," Fred sighed as the urge to sneeze disappeared. Then, it came back… in an unexpected way.

"A-tishoo!" George sneezed through his thick handkerchief. "Twin connections, I knew they would be the death of me," George whispered.

All of them stayed silent as they watched the volcano, all of them afraid. The volcano shook, there was an unexpected, violent earthquake. All of them fell to the ground, their feet frozen with fear. The volcano expelled its fumes and small amounts of lava slowly trickled down the volcano.

"Well, that wasn't so bad," Lily whispered as a trickle of lava touched the ground, burning a blade of grass.

"BLOODY HELL!" Sirius yelled. A small amount of lava had dropped onto the back of his pants, burning a hole through the fabric and setting his pants on fire. The volcano shook again and expelled huge amounts of lava. The lava flowed down the volcano, advancing towards the group.

"WHY DOES EVERY BLOODY THING TARGET MY ASS!" Sirius yelled.

There was an explosion and the earthquake became more violent. Everyone started to yell and run away. "Wait," Lily said. "The lava and earthquake will only stop if we stop." "You sure about this?" Harry asked. "Positive," Lily said. "If I'm wrong, though, we will be burned to a crisp." The odds were clearly against them, but James shrugged and remained standing next to Lily. Everyone looked at each other and, hesitating, they remained where they were.

Everyone stood in a close group; they silently waited and watched the volcano, getting ready to run for their lives if necessary. As the earthquake slowly but gradually started to slow down, soon, it stopped completely. Now, everyone's attention was directed to the lava which was now only a few feet away from them. Everyone held their breath and calmed down, the lava quickly stopped in its tracks and hardened, only a few centimetres from their feet.

"Well, that was a very interesting event," George whispered.

"Very," Fred muttered.

"You call this interesting, you should have seen the deranged centaurs and wild Hippogriffs," Sirius said softly.

"The centaurs were not deranged," Hermione said. "To be honest, I think I should make another group. How does Society to Help Immobilised Terrified Centaurs. No, wait, the short form of that would be inappropriate."

"Take away the C and what do you get?" Sirius asked.

"SHIT!" everyone softly chorused.

"Were you serious about shit, Hermione?" Harry asked as Hermione began giggling uncontrollably.

"Of course not," Hermione said. "Can't Hermione Granger make a joke?"

"Well, it was convincing," Fred said, walking in front of the group to hide his smirk.

"If you were serious," George said, following his twin.

"We would need to get you a straight-jacket for Christmas," Fred said.

"And get you a reservation in the Nutty-ville Mental Institute," George said.

"Shut up, both of you," Ron said, prodding both of them with a stick.

"Sorry, bro," Fred said. "Forgot she was your girl." Fred grabbed the stick and threw it away.

"Yeah," George said. "Looks like we still need to get her the straight-jacket and reservation."

"Looks that way," Fred said. "She does look a little confused, that's the first sign of madness."

"Or the first sign of brain damage," George commented. "Our Ronny, the person only a mother or a deranged nutcase would love." The both of them laughed hysterically, until…

"Do you feel weird, George?" Fred asked, twitching.

"A little itchy," George said, his right hand jerking to his neck. He scratched his neck vigorously.

"Me too," Fred said, both hands jerking to his face.

"We already had our dragon pox," George said, retrieving the stick and scratching his back with it.

"Then what is this?" Fred asked, snatching the stick from his brother's hand and scratching himself with it.

Sirius burst out laughing. "Welcome to my life!" he said.

As the rest of them started to laugh, the twins became suspicious. "What did you do to us?" they both cried out in unison.

"The Marauders always have something up their sleeve," James, Sirius, Remus and Lily said. James pulled out a container labelled, 'Itching Powder'. "Sometimes, Muggles invent amazing things," Remus said.

"Argh!" the twin groaned as they began to rub their back against each other. "Do you guys know how wrong that looks?" Remus asked, raising his eyebrow.

"How long is this powder going to last?" George asked.

"About a day or two," Sirius said, smirking.

"You guys are the best," Ron said, putting his arm on Sirius's shoulder.

"We know," Remus said. James started bowing and pretending to cry. "You all are so nice to me," he said. "I'm so happy."

"Knock it off," Lily said, gently shoving James.

"Never insult the Marauder's friends," Sirius said, laughing. Fred and George looked at them with an angry expression which quickly changed to an amused expression and a laugh. But even though they are laughing on the outside, on the inside, they were thinking of a way to get the Marauders back for that.

**(A/N: Read and Review, please)**


	17. And So It Begins

**(A/N: Just to get in the pranking mood, I've made a little scene for you to read right before the story. press play button 3 2 1 flash**

"_Incoming!" Hermione yelled, dressed in blue. A gigantic flabby pink thing fell to the ground._

"_Whoopee Cushion!" Harry yelled; diving as the cushion gave a loud 'pfft'-ing noise._

""_Ve are out of ammo," Viktor Krum said, saluting to James who was dressed in a Napoleon outfit._

"_There's only one thing left to do!" James said._

"_What, Captain Potter?" Lily asked._

"_Fake barf!" James yelled._

_Remus and Sirius rushed in carrying buckets of fake barf. They loaded it into a medieval slingshot._

"_Pull!" James said._

_There was a squeaking of rubber as the barf shot off towards the opposing team a.k.a. Team Redhead._

"_What the hell?" Ron asked as he looked through his binoculars._

"_What is it, Sergeant Scared-of-Spiders?" Fred and George asked, dressed in red outfits, which I might add, clashed horribly with their hair._

"_It's-It's-" Ron was cut off as the barf splashed all over them. "Fake barf." He finished as he fell to the ground._

"_Noooooo! Ron!" Fred said dramatically swooping down towards his little brother. "Speak to me!"_

"_Fred…" Ron said, warily._

"_What, little brother!" Fred asked. "What!"_

"_I need you…" Ron said._

"_What! Little bro?" Fred said. "WHAT!"_

"_Bloody Hell! Stop yelling in my ear!" Ron yelled, jerking into a sitting position and fainting again. Fred and George raise eyebrows as Team Marauder rejoiced._

**end of scene And now, on with the story! turns on electric guitar and plays the theme song)**

"Sleeeep…" James moaned, walking with his arms outstretched like a zombie. "Must have sleeeeep…"

"James," Lily said. "You do know that you're touching my ass?"

"Yeeeesss…" James muttered.

"Can you get them off please?" Lily asked.

"Sorry, Lily darling," James said, jerking his arms back. There was something funny going on.

"James, get your hands off my ass," Lily said, irritated.

"I can't!" James said. His hands were stuck to Lily's butt.

"Excuse me?" Lily asked.

"That is so wrong," Viktor said, looking away.

"My hands are stuck to your arse," James said. "Which part of that don't your understand?"

Lily turned around; James followed behind her. "Mate, I think you really are stuck to your girl's ass," Sirius commented.

"Ya think?" Lily and James said in unison.

"How can your hands get stuck to my ass," Lily asked.

"I have no idea," James said.

"What's that?" Harry asked, pulling a piece of parchment that was also stuck to Lily's pants.

"I can't make anything out of it," Hermione said, looking at the parchment upside-down.

"Me neither," Harry said.

"Vell, it's not my language," Viktor said.

"It's Weaslish," Ron said, snatching the paper out of Viktor's hands.

"Bless you," Harry said.

"No, Weaslish is a type of writing my brothers created when we were kids," Ron said.

"Wait…" Lily said. "You didn't have anything to do with this, did you?"

The twins, who were still scratching one another, smirked. "Read the writing and see for yourself," they said.

"It says, With this declaration you hold in your hands, we, the Weasley twins, declare a prank war against Past Pranksters and Present Pranksters," Ron recited. "You have got to be kidding me?"

"If it's a war they want," James said.

"It is a war they shall get!" Remus and Sirius finished.

"And it is a whopping they shall get for pasting James to my bottom!" Lily said.

"Who said we used paste?" George asked.

"What is this?" James asked.

"Well, it's not permanent," Fred said.

"It's not poisonous," George said.

"It's tree sap," Fred said.

"Is that all?" Lily asked, relieved. "Tree sap?"

"Unfortunately," George said.

"That's all we could find that was sticky enough," Fred said.

"Uh-huh," Lily said.

"So, anyway," Harry asked. "What exactly are the rules of this prank war?" Harry asked.

"Every day, both of us plays prank on one another," Fred and George said.

"But only once per day," Fred added.

"If one of us fails to play a prank on a day," George said.

"The failing team has to do a dare," Fred said.

"Okay," James said. "You're on."

"And so, it begins…" Sirius said, to give a better atmosphere.

"Now we're all good," Lily said. "Get my boyfriend's hands off my ass!"

"Touchy," Fred said.

"You have bloody no idea," Lily said, motioning to James.

"The only way we can get him of you, is a tug-of-war!" Hermione said, really not being herself.

"What?" Lily asked.

"Remus, Sirius, Harry," Hermione said. "Grab James's legs. The rest of us will hold Lily's arms."

"This is going to be comical," George said. Fred nodded as the settled down to watch the tug-of-war.

As all of them got into position and the twins had got some popcorn from Hermione's bag, they got ready.

"Okay?" Hermione asked. "On the count of three. One, two, three."

There was a sound of tearing fabric as James's pants split and so did his legs. "Oh, God," James whimpered.

"Sorry, Prongs," Remus said. "We pulled the wrong direction." Harry had pulled James left leg while Remus had pulled his right, both had pulled in their own direction, resulting in a highschool cheerleader-like split.

"I'm not a cheerleader y'know?" James said.

"This is getting interesting," George said, popping a piece of caramel popcorn into his mouth.

"Well, you look like one now," Sirius said. James kicked him in the shin. "Ow ow ow!" He said.

"Do you have any idea how painful it is to split?" James said in his squeaky voice.

"Less talky, more pully!" Lily said.

"Uno, thos, thres!" Sirius said. Everyone made no movement. Instead, all of them just stared at him.

"What?" he asked. "I like Spanish."

"Moving on!" Hermione said.

"Er, der, thwa!" Sirius said.

"French," Remus said.

"Again with the foreign languages!" James said.

"Forget the language and get my boyfriend off my ass!" Lily said.

"Ye', er, san!" Sirius said. All of them groaned.

"Oh, bloody hell," Hermione muttered.

"Just brushing up on my Mandarin if we're going to China," Sirius said.

"How much Mandarin do you know?" Remus asked.

"Ye', er, san?" Sirius said.

Fred and George had doubled over, laughing hysterically.

"Okay," Lily said, looking thoroughly angry. "Just pull us apart and ignore the language."

"Okaly-dokaly," Sirius said. "One, two three!"

There was a sound of tearing fabric as James was pulled off Lily, forcibly. Resulting in, tearing two holes in Lily pants, revealing her underwear. Lily noticed this and immediately sat down, hiding her butt. James on the other hand, had his hands pulled off Lily and his jeans pulled off his legs.

"Oh, sweet God," Hermione said as she saw James underwear.

"Shield your eyes," Ron said, covering Hermione's eyes.

"Goodness gracious me," Viktor said.

"Dad!" Harry said.

"Oh-ho!" the twins said in unison, amused.

"Prongs!" Sirius and Remus exclaimed. "Sorry 'bout that."

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Fred said, stepping up, as George did a circus theme song.

"Step right up and forget the term 'Pants-less Joe' now there's a new word in town and it's," Fred said as George did an ending.

"Pants-less James," both of them said in unison.

"And now see," Lily said, defending her boyfriend. "Pants-less Twins." Lily waved her wand and two belts zoomed towards her hand and the twin's pants fell, revealing white shorts decorated with red hearts. The classic.

"Lily," Hermione said. "I thought we couldn't use magic?"

"Yes we can," Lily said, pointing ahead of them. "I see magical objects, and where there are magical objects, there's magic!"

All of them looked about three kilometres ahead of them they saw a stall with a man. The sign above the stall read, 'Portkeys.'

"We're finally at the Portkey stand," James said. "Look out, China, here comes the Marauders!"

"For God's sake, James!" Lily said. "Put on your pants before the Chinese people stare."

**(A/N: Is this a little too fast? Don't worry, in the next chapter, China, confusion over the language, as Sirius only know one, two, three, and a few glimpses of a guest star! I'll give you a few hints, ancient China, a movie that was released around 1997, and a seemingly bearded lady!)**


	18. Now What Do We Do?

**(A/N: Another chapter waiting for you to read it. Sorry, I scratched out the part of a guest star coming in. It would just be a little too confusing. For me. On with the story! –plugs in an electric guitar and plays the theme song of the story-)**

"Well, this was an exciting journey," James said, having already changed his pants.

"Yeah, exciting," Lily said, also having changed her pants. "I've never had so many near-death experiences in a month."

"You've never had a near death experience before," Remus reminded her.

"Anyway, it was exciting," James said. "Meeting my son and his friends, facing spiders, centaurs and giants, getting saved by the giant, meeting Viktor's family, fighting that spastic blonde lunatic, **(A/N: Sorry, all Draco fans)** and then, sending him off to jail."

Ron listened to them, a grin plastered onto his face. He thought they would never get to China in time. He was wrong, luckily, utterly, fortunately wrong. He shoved his hands in his pockets as they continued to walk towards the Portkey stand, happiness etched all over his face. Ever since the itching powder incident, he and Hermione had made up. Ron found out that Viktor wasn't so bad. Viktor and Remus were only Hermione's friends and didn't intend to be any more.

Having realised his mistake, he had become friends with Viktor and stopped calling him Vicky, there weren't any more uncomfortable glances from Hermione when they were walking side by side, and everything was good with the group, well, for Ron, exactly.

"What are you smiling about?" Hermione asked, laughing.

"What are you laughing about?" Ron asked, smiling at her.

"If I tell you, will you tell me?" Hermione asked.

"'Kay," Ron said.

Both of them each took a deep breath and said, "You." Both of them laughed and smiled at each other. The rest of the group were getting used to the lovey-dovey stuff and treated their laughing as though it was a daily event, which it was.

"Just a few more steps and well get a Portkey to China," Viktor said.

"Which part of China, exactly?" Sirius asked.

"Shanghai," James said, checking the map.

"Yay," Lily said.

Harry began to see the stall more clearly and examined it. The stall was just a wooden desk, similar to those of teachers, with a banner across it saying, 'Portkeys.' There was a small rack on the right, consisting of magazines, translation books and newspapers which cost a Sickle each. There was another rack on the left of the desk, this one, consisting of boots, pieces of paper and used kettles. The man at the desk had long dark brown hair which was tied up messily into a ponytail. He had a hard, square-ish face with dark blue eyes which looked at the lot intently. He was dressed in patchy, torn, blue robes and a lime green bowler hat which reminded Harry of Cornelius Fudge, the former Minister of Magic.

"Ve vould like a Portkey," Viktor said.

"I see," the man said in a hoarse voice. "They cost a Knut per person. Where, may I ask, do you intend to go to?"

"Shanghai, China," Lily said as Hermione took out a bag of Knuts from her satchel and began to count them.

"Know how to speak the language?" the man asked. "I have a few translation books here."

"No, we do not know the language," Sirius said.

"Here," Hermione said, putting ten Knuts and a Sickle on the table. "A Portkey for ten to Shanghai, China and no thanks to the book offer."

The man shrugged, took the money and put it in a used tin tobacco container filled with coins. He, then, took a kettle and took out his wand. He pointed it at the bottom-burnt kettle and muttered, "Portus." The kettle glowed blue and trembled noisily against the rickety desk for a few seconds, then became still once more.

The man, then laid back in his chair and said, "Grab it on the count of three, one two three!"

Harry grabbed the kettle, as well as the others; he felt the familiar sensation of a being jerked behind his navel. The man, the small stall disappeared in a whirlwind of colour and sound. A whooshing sound filled his ears as the tops of temples and Chinese buildings came into view. It was daybreak and nobody was around to see the unusual sight of nine British teenagers and a young adult Bulgarian Quiddich player fall to the dusty ground, right in front of a typical looking Chinese home, all of them clutching hold of a used kettle/Portkey.

"Okay," James said, groggily getting up to his feet. "I never want to try that, again."

"Hey, Prongsy," Sirius said, looking at James with tired eyes. "Since when you had a twin brother?"

"Since he fought the giant peanut butter sandwich!" Remus said, enthusiastically.

"Honestly, haven't you two have any eyes?" Lily asked. "There are clearly four of him."

"I don't think they ever travelled by a Portkey before," Harry said.

"Come one, you lot," Ron said, snapping his finger in front of Sirius's eyes. "Wake up, wake up."

James, Lily, Sirius and Remus snapped back to reality as soon as Ron snapped his finger for the fifth time. All of them looked dazed and confused. "Here," Hermione said, handing them some clothes.

"Why do we have to wear these?" Ron asked as he looked at a pair of Muggle jeans.

"Cause," Hermione said. "Wizard robes don't look too normal in a Muggle town don't it?"

"True," Sirius said.

_After all of them had changed in a secluded spot…_

"So," Lily said, smoothing down the front of her red shirt which bore the double happiness character. "Where do we go from here?"

"Um, guys," James said, turning the map upside-down. "I think we made a slight mistake on the Portkey."

"What!" everyone said, disbelievingly.

"We were supposed to go to Kashgar, but instead, we went to Shanghai which is on the other side of China," James said. "These Chinese characters are so hard to read."

"Bloody hell, bloody hell," Ron muttered continuously under his breath.

"You mean we would have to cross the second biggest country in the world?" Hermione asked.

"Looks like it," Lily said, crossing her arms. "Another James Potter mess-up."

"So, should we get started?" Harry asked.

"We can't," James said.

"Vhy?" Viktor asked.

"The map has suddenly changed into Chinese," James said, showing the map. The words next to the dots, symbolising the cities and states, has suddenly turned into Mandarin.

"Well, this is shit," Sirius said, kicking a small rock that was on the ground.

"It most certainly is," Lily said. "That is, until we find a translator."

"Vhy did you turn down the book offer, Herm-own-ninny?" Viktor asked.

"Because I looked through the books," Hermione said. "I've went to China once, you know, and I learned what **not** to say in Mandarin. The book was a fake. Someone had scribbled in Chinese swears in it."

"Well, until we find a translator," Fred said.

"We might as well enjoy China," George said.

"And maybe we can find a translator on the way," Fred said, cutting off Hermione as she opened her mouth.

"But, Harry, doh!" Hermione stuttered.

"Hermione, calm down, we have another six months," Lily said slowly, grabbing Hermione's shoulders. "Anyway, what can a couple of hours of fun do?" she added cheerfully.

Hermione sighed. "I supposed you're right," she said, smiling. "I'm just a little tensed that we have no idea what the map says and that we're on the other side of-"

Lily sighed and shook Hermione's shoulders, almost making her teeth rattle. "Two hours of fun and then, on with the journey, okay?" she asked, as though trying to persuade a five year old. Hermione silently nodded.

Lily took the satchel and looked inside, she smiled. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Chinese Muggle money," she said, taking out notes from the bag.

"This bag does settle our every need," Hermione said as Lily divided the money between them.

"And let the shopping spree begin!" Lily said.

"And don't forget the prank war," the twins said, counting their share. "It's a new day, for fun and pranks and maybe a dare."

"You're on!" James said, shoving the money into his pocket.

**(A/N: I know this chapter is a little boring, but don't fret, more unexpected events are coming into Harry and the gang's way…)**


	19. Chinese Ninja Girls

**(A/N: In this chapter they'll meet some new friends. The new friends are based on real life people, my BFFs!)**

"That was the best shopping spree I ever had," Lily said, carrying her shopping bags.

"Was it because you had a lot of money or because we're in Shanghai?" James asked.

"Both," Lily replied, blushing. Everyone laughed. They had just spent the last hours shopping like mad spendthrifts and now, were walking past buildings and shop houses. As they were passing a flat, they stopped, there was a noisy ruckus inside and then, it stopped. The double doors swung open and a teenage Chinese girl flew out. "Ahhhh," she yelled as she fell, face first, onto the ground.

A fat lady, wearing a purple out fit, came out and threw out a messenger bag. It landed on the girls head with a soft thump. "You are out, Elvira!" the lady said. The lady started screaming words in rapid Mandarin. She took in a deep breath, glared at Elvira and stormed inside the building, slamming the doors behind her.

The black haired girl stood up and dusted the dust off her clothes. She had wavy, shiny, well kept black hair which was tied up in a loose ponytail. Her eyes were a light shade of blue and her skin was very pale. She was wearing a light blue shirt, which matched her eyes, and a pair of jeans. Her sneakers were faded but Harry could see they were once blue. She bent down and picked up her bag, suddenly a wand fell out; she gasped. She bent down, snatched it and pointed it at the group.

"Wait! Wait! Wait!" Fred and George said as the girl named Elvira halfway muttered a charm.

"Wait for what?" Elvira asked. "No Muggle is supposed to know."

"Well, lookie here," Fred said enthusiastically. "She speaks English."

"Of course I speak English," Elvira said. "And so does- Oh my gosh!" She pushed her wand into her bag and ran to the doors. Before she even reached the handle, another ruckus started inside. Elvira buried her face and groaned in her hands.

It sounded like a hurricane in there. The lady was yelling at the top of the voice screaming Chinese swears at someone. Tables and chairs fell to the ground as the lady chased the person all over the ground floor of the flat. The doors swung open again and two more teenage girls were thrown out of the flat with their bags. The lady gave them a dirty look before closing the doors behind her.

"Danni, Nadia. You both okay?" Elvira asked. Both of them gave her the thumbs up and began to grab their bags.

Nadia had straight brownish red hair and green eyes. Her skin was a little darker, compared to Elvira, and she was wearing a white and red T-shirt and black jeans. Her messy hair was tied up in a loose ponytail

"Kicked you out too, Dan?" Elvira said. "What did she say to you this time?"

"I'm a disgrace to all that is Chinese and all purebloods," Danni said, exasperatedly. "Blood traitor, dressed inappropriately, put a little colour in my life, cheer up. I swear, one day I'm going to-"

"Looks like you're okay then," Elvira said.

Harry couldn't help to agree with the lady. Danni's Chinese face was pale and she had black eyeliner around her eyes, she wore black eye shadow and lipstick and her straight, black hair was streaked with red. She wore a black shirt with a picture of a red rose on the front and she wore long, black jeans with black boots.

"Who are they?" she asked, her dark eyes looking at Harry and the rest.

"They saw my wand, I was about to put a Memory Charm on them-" Elvira began but she was cut off by Nadia.

"Elvira!" Beatrice said. "Do you know who that boy is?" She looked at Harry.

"Ummm… uhhhh…" Elvira said.

"That's Harry Potter!" Nadia said. "_The _Harry Potter. The Chosen One! The Boy Who Lived! And that's Viktor Krum! The world famous Bulgarian Quiddich player!" She stared at both of them in awe. She turned to a shocked Elvira and an emotionless Danni. "And you were going to wipe their memories?"

"I-I didn't know it was him," Elvira stuttered. "I'm sorry." She grabbed Harry's hand and shook it vigorously.

"The world is full of unexpected events," Danni said. "This is one of the good ones."

"I thought Harry Potter lived in England," Nadia said.

"Me too," Elvira said, letting go of his hand.

"Very unexpected," Danni said, dully.

"We are on a journey," Fred and George said.

"Can't speak Mandarin," George said.

"Need to get to Shanghai," Fred said.

"Map's in Mandarin," George said, showing them the map

"Need a translator," Fred said.

"Bad," George said.

"Up for it?" Fred said.

"Okay, I guess," Elvira said. "You two up for it?"

"Yes, yes, yes," Nadia said.

"Okay," Danni said, shrugging.

"Lemme see the map," Elvira said. James handed her the map and she looked at it. Her eyes darted to one state to another. Her eyes widened as she read the names of the locations they were going to past. "You know you're passing a lot of dangerous creatures and places on the way, don't you?" she asked. They nodded. "Then count me in as a permanent member!'

"Well, that good to hear," James said. "What about you two."

"I'm still in," Nadia said.

"I'm already a big danger to myself," Danni said. "Won't make much difference when I get hurt. I'm already spiritually wounded."

"Okay…" Remus said slowly.

"It's okay," Danni said. "Most people are not used to my mood yet."

"Understood," Sirius said. "So which way do we go from here?"

"Out of this town and turn right on the leech infested swamp," Elvira said.

"Leeches?" Nadia said, warily.

Danni smirked. "Blood still runs in my veins but my heart doesn't beat. Loss of blood isn't a problem since I'm not really using it. I'm not even sure if I am alive. And no, I am not on drugs, Sirius."

Sirius stood there, rooted to the spot. He was amazed because he was just whispering to James of she was on a special kind of drug. "Wow," he said. "A mind reader?"

"No," Danni said. "I can read your emotions, see the look in your eyes when you talk, I feel your complex emotions. I examine it and confirm my conclusion."

"What?" Sirius asked, clearly confused.

"She can read lips," Elvira said, giving the map back to James.

"Do you have to ruin her fun?" Nadia asked.

"One. No, I didn't have to, I wanted too," Elvira said. "Two. Danni doesn't do fun, do you, Dan?" Danni looked at her with her emotionless face and slowly shook her head. "Now, _my_ conclusion is confirmed," Elvira said.

"Any who," James said. "Which way do we head?"

"That way," Elvira said, pointing to a completely deserted dirt road which led to a dead end.

"You sure?" Ron asked. "It looks completely bare to me."

"Actually this is similar to your Diagon Alley," Danni said. "It's called, Dragons and Moon Road to us, but it's just a nameless dirt road to Muggles."

All of them walked down the dirt road, as they were approaching the orange brick wall, three thieves jumped out from the alleyways. They yelled something in Mandarin. "What did they say?" James asked. "They want our stuff and money," Elvira said. "They're so dead," Danni said. "True," Nadia said. The three girls got into position, leaving the rest of them in silence and awe. They performed complex martial arts on the thieves who were surprised and shocked as they got beaten up by three teenage girls. About two minutes were enough for them to run for their lives, yelling and screaming.

"Wow," James said.

"Thanks," Elvira said, taking out her wand. She tapped five different bricks and stepped back as the bricks moved aside quietly, revealing a stone path passing many shops and inns. It closely resembled Diagon Alley with a few minor adjustments. Chinese lanterns lit a dark path. The shops, which the red glow illuminated, had dusty windows and rickety doors which creaked when a breeze blew past. Nadia noticed Harry staring at the street and said, "You don't want to go into Bloodshot Alley. There's where the wizard black market and dark magic shops are."

"Well, we don't want to," Danni said. "And we're not going through." For a slit second, Harry thought he saw a bit of fear showing on Danni's face. But it showed no emotion, as always, another second later.

"I've heard rumours around there," Hermione said. "They kill and torture dragons in there. It creeps me out just by saying it."

"Oh, how I wish I could kill that dragon in my family," Danni said suddenly. Everyone except Nadia and Elvira looked at her with an expression of curiosity and confusion.

"Vot?" Viktor asked. "You haff a dragon in your family?"

"Not really," Danni said. "It's just that his name means dragon, or serpent or whatever in Latin."

"Her cousin," Elvira said. "A little sick in the head. Works for You-Know-Who, just got sent to jail for murder and trespassing."

"Killed two Muggles and a witch," Nadia said. "Shouted swears in his hearing to the minister. He kept shouting he would get out no matter what and get his revenge. Nut case, if you ask me. No one ever got out of Azkaban and lived to tell the tale."

"Do you think he could?" Hermione asked.

"Nah," Danni said. "His locked up safely with his dad. Loony thing, he is, that Draco Malfoy. Anyway, he would just kill the people that put him in there. It's not like it's you lot."

"Well, technically," Sirius said. "We are."

"For a good reason," Remus said.

"He's after my family?" Viktor asked.

"This is so wrong," Lily said.

"Very, very wrong," Ron said.

"This is very, very unexpected," Nadia said.

**(A/N: Yes, I am a random, unexpected author and that's why you read my stories. You never know what could happen next. Twins in clown suits coming up maybe in next two chappies)**


	20. Her Nightmare Before Christmas

**(A/N: Good day to you, my dear readers, and so we begin a new chapter on my series of unexpected stories. It'll be fairly longer than my usual. Be warned, there will be danger for the group in the future and dares since _someone_ lost some ideas. Yes I do refer to myself as the third person. Moving on with the semi Christmas edition of my story. Meaning only half of it is Christmassy. This chapter is dedicated to my bestest best friend/ BFF. Merry Christmas, Bryan! I know it's late but bear it with me, pretty please?)**

"So, anyway," James said. "Where do we go from here?"

"Dragon and Moon Road is very long," Danni said. "Unusual, yes but the longer, the more places you see, the more places you see, the more experience you get from somewhere or something."

"But we aren't going down Dragon and Moon Road," Elvira said. "We are going through Bloodshot Alley." Elvira pointed at the dark and gloomy, alleyway. The bright red Chinese lanterns weren't helping in making the Alley look more inviting. The red eerie glow and the moving shadows made it look as if it were haunted. Everyone looked at each other, hesitatingly, but, one step at a time, they walked into the dimly lit alleyway.

"This place is creepy," Nadia said, rubbing her arms with her hands. "It's so quiet."

"It's too quiet," Elvira said. "Something must've dropped out and scare us silly by now."

"So," Harry said, dodging a cobweb. "How long is this Bloodshot Alley?"

"It'll take us exactly ten hours of walking to get out of here," Danni said. "I guess we'll be spending the night here or we'll just walk until we drop."

"I find walking and not stopping entire impossible," Lily said, slowing down.

"You know, walking for ten hours right after a shopping spree is possible but one or two of us will probably drop down or faint," Hermione said. "There is a possibility that we could throw up."

"Where do you get this information?" Ron asked.

"There's a magical place with information called the library," Hermione said, sarcastically. "I'm sure all of us have been in one at least more than once."

"Well, then," Lily said. "Looks like James and Sirius have possibly broken that record, seven years of Hogwarts and they haven't set a single foot in there once. They just got us to get the books for them or use magic to make their arms stretch."

"So, anyways," Remus said. "Who do you live with?" he asked the three girls.

"We're runaways," Elvira answered. "Work in a flower shop for money, we don't have much and as you can see, we just were kicked out for overdue rents."

"Why did you run away?" Ron asked.

"No one likes being brought up in an orphanage," Nadia said. "And going back every summer after the term ended. Thought of staying there for the summer, but got busted by the caretaker, Fang Chui."

"All three of you were parentless?" Lily asked, shocked.

"No," Danni said. "I have parents. Those idiots wanted me to join the Dark side last year. Why don't you be like your cousin."

_Flashback…_

It was a dark windy night, the bright full moon shone over two mansions each two miles apart. Surrounding the mansions were a stretch of overgrown grass and a few dead trees. In one of the mansions, two parents were shouting at their only daughter.

"Why don't you be like your cousin?" Danni's mother said. "He's the only one that made us proud. Make us proud for once in your life, Danielle."

"Have some prejudice in you!" her father said. "Don't make friends with those Mudbloods, make fun of them."

A small thirteen year old Danni was sitting on a chair, not knowing what to say. She didn't want to make fun of Nadia, no, she was her best friend, and so was Elvira. But her parents wouldn't understand. "Make fun of them!" her father yelled at her.

"No!" she screamed back. Her tears blinding her, she rushed up to her room and slammed the door behind her. She leaned her back against her door, she as angry, angry at her parents and angry at the Malfoys stupid prejudice on Muggle borns and half bloods. She locked her door and packed her wand, and a few clothes, she took her bed sheet and twisted it into a rope. She tied one end of it securely to her bed. She threw the rope down her window and climbed down the long fabric. This was her first attempt.

She fell down, hard, she had the wind knocked out of her but she was determined to get out. Her parents heard her and looked out the sitting room window. They yelled at her as she ran into the darkness. She looked back, green lights flashed in her cousin's house. The door opened and she could see the familiar platinum blonde hair. She panicked. She ran for her life but she had forgotten one little detail of her hated cousin. He had a broomstick. "Shit," she muttered as she ran helter skelter and hid behind a dead tree. She looked back, no one was chasing her. She gave a sigh of relief as she turned back. She gave a gasp as she saw she had bumped right into Draco Malfoy.

"Nice night for a walk?" he asked, smirking.

"Get away from me," Danni muttered, walking away.

"Your parents are worried, do you know that?" he said, grabbing her arm.

"Worried?" she asked. "They don't give a damn about me. Let go of me." she said, angrily as she tried to pull out of his grip.

"No way," Malfoy said. "You know, your parents are paying me to deliver you back."

"You don't need any more, you greedy little piece of shit," she said as she kicked his –ahem ahem-

Malfoy fell to the ground, whimpering. Danni ran for her life. As she thought she was safe, she came to a steep hill. She had to get down the bumpy hill. She knew where to draw the line, she looked for an easier way. She looked back, to see her cousin, flying towards her on his broom. He winced but he didn't mind. As he got closer, Danni ducked. He jumped off his broom and fell down the hill, pulling Danni's leg and her along with him.

There was a knock at Danni's door and it was opened by her mother. Draco held up a knocked out Danni towards her. Danni's mother smiled and gave him his five Galleons.

_Reality…_

"Idiot buffoon," Danni muttered. "After I was seventeen, I ran away for good. Found a secret place to hide until he gave up. I was free. Ran away to China, there's where my school was, with my two best friends and started a life here. But he found out where I was a few weeks ago. Almost got me but got hit in the face by a spell. These two saved my life."

"I know how you feel," Sirius said. "My mom and dad wanted me to join, too. My brother joined and died. The little nutter, I said joining was a bad idea but no one listens to me back then. Those things are in the past, the twisted, messed up past. You just have to look at the bright side of things and be a new person."

"There is no bright side anymore," Danni said. "I do not see and happiness. I do not feel any happiness. My childhood has been a living hell and it has permanently affected my present day self."

"Well, it's up to you," Sirius said, shrugging. They have been slowly but steadily walking down the empty and eerie alley. Dragon and Moon Road was two hours of walking behind them. As they walked in silence, Lily spotted a page of the Daily Prophet lying on the ground. She picked it up, read through the brief articles and a panel of a comic until she saw a picture. Her eyes widened as she read the huge article on the front page, still glancing at the picture once in a while.

"Oh snap," Lily muttered.

"What was that?" Harry asked.

"Look," she said, her voice no longer happy, but worried. Her eyes had widened and she looked as though all the blood had drained out of her cheeks and her face. She shakily shoved the piece of newspaper to Harry. As Harry read the article, the rest had crowded around him, trying to read the news over his shoulder. It had a picture of a familiar platinum blonde boy. Malfoy's usual sleek blonde hair was ruffled and messy. He had an angry and vengeful look on his face as he held up a piece of wood. The plank had symbols those similar to Sirius's, Harry saw during his third year, when posters of his godfather had been hanging up everywhere in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade.

_**Murderer Escapes Azkaban**_

_Draco Malfoy, seventeen, had escaped the highly guarded wizard prison, Azkaban, and has disappeared without a trace. His wand, which was locked in a highly guarded security vault, is also missing. Aurors are currently baffled by the sudden disappearance. Little but fairly useful information has been given by Malfoy's cellmate, American mass murderer and bank robber, Felicity Drake._

"_He doesn't talk much to the rest of us," Drake said. "But every night I hear him mumbling about Harry Potter, you know, the Chosen One, and a bunch of other names, Viktor, Granger and maybe something about a weasel. I also heard the words, 'China' and 'Danielle'. Think he was talking about a girlfriend in China or something. But he definitely said the word 'revenge' over and over again."_

"_We have a hunch that Draco Malfoy is on his way to China," Chief Auror, Terrence Fallen, said in a press conference. "People currently living in China must be alert at all times. If Malfoy has been spotted, please contact us as soon as possible." China's locals must be alert for a skinny, platinum blonde teenage boy with grey eyes. (inserted picture) If anyone has any more useful information, please contact the Ministry of Magic._

"This is great," Danni said sarcastically, sitting down on a rickety bench at the side of the alley road. "Just great, he's going to find us here, he's going to find us all and kill us." Danni's eyes were now welling up with tears. A tear trickled down her cheek, spoiling the black eyeliner. "I mean, how can't he find us? He's been doing it since I was thirteen. He won't stop until he finds us. He'll never stop until he's died trying." Danni buried her face in her hands, sobbing softly.

As Harry and the rest of the group looked at her concerned, Elvira and Nadia were surprised. Elvira had never seen Danni, her best fiend, show this much emotion. "Until he's died trying," Danni sobbed through her hands. "He'll never stop."

"Come on, Dan," Nadia said, sitting next to her. She patted Danni's back gently. "I mean things will go better. It's Christmas. Everything will be alright." They could hear the clocks in several shops chiming, signalling that it was midnight.

"All the Christmases that passed didn't do a thing," Danni said. "Only decorated trees, presents and scattered holly and mistletoe were there. Christmas cheer and Christmas luck were never there. It wasn't there and it never will, ever."

"Don't think that way," Lily said, sitting next to Nadia. "There's always Christmas faith and Christmas hope," Hermione said, joining her. "There isn't any hope in the world," Danni said, muffled through her hands. She had stopped crying. "Yeah, there is," Fred and George said. "There's always a little tiny bit of hope in everyone," Ron said. "There's alvays a Christmas miracle happening to every vun, every year," Viktor said. "Thos special can happen to everyone," Harry said.

"Anyone can be happy," Elvira said, kneeling down next to Danni. Everyone had taken a place on the bench; if another person sat there, someone would fall. "Even you, there's happiness in everyone."

"There's no happiness in me anymore," Danni said, taking out a handkerchief and wiping away the black makeup from her face. The handkerchief now looked like it had been dyed black. Danni shoved it back into her pocket.

"There's a little bit of happiness in everyone," Sirius said. "And it's more active on Christmas," Remus said. "That's the magic and wonder of Christmas," James said. "There's no answer and we enjoy it even though we can't explain it."

Danni smiled and, without warning, hugged everyone that was close to her. "Thanks," she muttered. "I've never felt this way about Christmas before." She let go of them.

"Well, I'm felling sleepy," Sirius said, yawning. He fell asleep immediately and snored.

"I think we should sleep here for the night," James said. "Because of two reasons, one, I'm not banging on a door at midnight, waking up the people crazy enough to live here. Two, Sirius is too heavy." "Hey," Sirius said, jolting back to consciousness. Everybody laughed, even Danni.

As they settled down for the night under a small fragment of a roof of a decorated shop, they heard a sniff coming from Danni's sleeping bag. "What's up, Danni?" Sirius asked, sitting up and looking at the sleeping bag right next to him. "Just call me Danielle from now on," Danni said. "I'm okay, just a little happy and touched that you all cared about me that much. I feel that I'm changed in a way."

"Well, you're welcome," Sirius said. "Will you still be wearing black? Because it kinda creeps me out that you look more like a vampire." "Actually I like black," Danielle said, Sirius blushed scarlet. "But I'll lay off the black if it creeps you out." Sirius laughed nervously, because he had realised that he was holding Danielle's hand the whole time. "Can I ask you something about Christmas?" Danielle asked. "What?" Sirius asked. "What's that?" Danielle pointed to a cutting of leaves and some white berries hanging above their heads.

"That's mistletoe," Sirius said. "When two people are under it…" Sirius trailed off as Danielle looked at him, clearly puzzled. "They have to kiss under it," Sirius muttered. "Well, we all know that we're not gonna do that," Danielle said after an uncomfortable moment. "Yeah," Sirius half laughed. "Night," Danielle muttered. "Night," Sirius said, closing his eyes. "Sirius?" Danielle said. "Hmm?" Sirius said, still not opening his eyes. Danielle gently kissed his cheek. "Merry Christmas," she said.

**(A/N: We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Unexpected, yes. Fast, maybe a little. Twins in clown suits, I'll see where I can squeeze it in. As I always say, 'When all else fails, stop trying again, and improvise.' Till next time and until then, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!)**


	21. The Platinum Blonde Stranger

**(A/N: Found a way to squeeze clown suits in. Read it and please review, please do. It's so fun to get this results and it's not healthy to keep your emotions bottle up. Just pullin' your leg! –leg comes off- Well, on with the story, shall we? –tosses the leg away, garbage cans topple and a cat screeches- Don't pay any attention to the human limb, lying over there. Enjoy! The story I mean…)**

"You go wake them up," Harry whispered, pushing Danielle to the sleeping twins.

"No way, hosie!" Danielle said backing away. "They'll be so furious to find out what they did to them! You made the joke, Sirius, you go wake them up!" Danielle pushed Sirius in front of the rest. "No way! Moony, it was your idea and in the Marauders Rulebook, the thinker has to wake up the victims and informed them that they have been dooped." "Wait a minute, we didn't make a rulebook," Remus said. "Look, a um shooting star!" Sirius said enthusiastically pointing to something over Remus's shoulder. Remus looked at him his eyebrow raised. "You underestimate me, Padfoot," he said. "Okay, I'll wake them up!" Remus sighed and walked over to the sleeping and loudly snoring twins.

It was dark, very dark, except the reddish glow that everyone had grown accustomed to after the past forty five minutes they had spent during the whole morning decorating the twins. It was ten in the morning, yet, it looked like it was still midnight. The Christmas lights and decorative trees had been taken off and light, shaped like fire crackers, have been put up and fake red, paper envelopes called 'angpows' now were stuck to the shop windows bearing Chinese characters.

Several banners, coloured red and gold, had been put up; written on them were Chinese words, Elvira had said, written 'Gong Xi Fa Chai' which meant 'Happy Chinese New Year'. Danielle explained that the Chinese didn't follow the Western calendar, but had followed the Chinese Lunar calendar. The months were measured by the moon's positions and the New Year wasn't a fixed date on January the first. Chinese New Year is on different days each year and is always celebrated after the Western New Year. Harry was at first confused but understood it, or was forced to understand it, after Hermione's non-stop rambling.

They were standing in a small alleyway, huddled over a pair of twins. Remus stretched out his hand but had a second thought. He retracted his hand and lowered himself to Fred's ear. He took in a deep breath. The others noticed Remus's actions and immediately covered their ears. "WAKE UP!" Remus yelled, his voice echoing off the walls of the secluded alleyway. Fred and George woke with a start. "We didn't do it mom!" Fred yelled while his twin yelled at the same time, "No more bagpipe music, Mr. Leprechaun!" "WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?" they yelled in unison as they pointed at each other.

Clown makeup was applied to both of their faces and they found themselves wearing clown suits. "Whatcha do to us?" they asked in unison. "And what happened to you lot?" The twins weren't the only one dressing oddly. The rest of them looked like a trick or treating gang of oversized children. "It seems that everyday in Bloodshot Alley is Halloween, except for the other holidays," Hermione said. She wore an evening gown and her hair was tied up in an elegant bun. A few locks of curly hair fell to her face. The twins stared at her. "What? This was the only appropriate costume," she said. "That takes me back to the Yule Ball," Fred said, putting on a glassy eyes look as though remembering something calming. "And did we rock the house or what?" George commented.

"And we know happened at the end," Harry muttered. He was dressed in a pirate suit. An eye patch covered his left eye and he wore his glasses as usual. He did look a little odd with a glass connected to a bit of metal hanging over a patched eye.

There was a noise in the back of the alley. It was a lot darker there and it was hard to see but Fred could make out an outline of a black cloak. A long black cloak. Those that the Death Eaters wore during the night of the World Cup. As the figure came closer, he saw that familiar skull like mask covering half of the person's face. A wand in one hand the figure made it's was slowly towards them. Platinum blonde hair peeped out of the hood and he could see the person inside smirking. That very familiar smirk. The figure shoved its wand into its pocket as it saw Fred and George.

As the others backed away, hiding their faces, the Death Eater grabbed Fred's collar, pulling him to his feet and lifting him inches above the ground. It was only about the size of him. Fred could feel his brother's fear as George backed away, Fred then saw familiar grey eyes through the holes of the mask. The person pulled away its hood and shoulder length platinum blonde hair fell to its shoulders. Its smirk widened as it slowly took away its mask. Fred dreaded the worst and the worst had come true, well sort of… "Trick or treat," Danielle said, smirking. "Like my costume?"

"Oh sweet Lord," George said, letting go a sigh of relief. "You scared us half to death! What did you do to your hair?" "This was the original colour of my hair," Danielle said. "Sirius suggested that I lay off the black, so I did. I look so much like my cousin." "Well, you scared us enough to put us six feet under," Fred said. "I think that's the point of Halloween," Danielle said. "Scaring your friends silly. Your costume certainly scares me." She smirked as the twin started to scramble to their feet, but they fell down after every try as though they were walking on ice. They were just shocked and were trying to shake the feeling off.

"So, that's one prank for us and zilch for you two," James said, triumphantly. "Better think of a prank, fast or it's humiliation for you two because our dare is going to be unbelievable humiliation strong enough to penetrate every living creature this planet has ever had!" James was wearing a maroon coloured jacket and a pair of black jeans. He wore a purple top hat and held a colourful walking cane. If you looked close enough, you can see colourful bits of candy inside it. This costume is no other than Willy Wonka's from the hilarious but stare able Muggle movie 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.'

"James, I think you need to lay off the sugar," Lily said, patting his back. "But," Sirius said. "He's Willy Wonka! Willy Wonka! The amazing chocolatier! Whoo! Willy Wonk-fof-muph-fofo-fae-fo-fu!" Danielle was holding a gloved hand over Sirius's mouth from saying any more. But he kept on singing even though his words sounded like a load of waffle. "God, how do you stand that kind of music," Danielle said, some of her previous gothy-ness emerging. She shook it away and her attention was turned back to Sirius who was currently doing a ridiculous ending. "Fiffy fo fa fear fe fish!" He said raising his arms.

"Lalala! I'm not listening!" Danielle yelled in a sing-song voice over Sirius sudden chorus of the Augustus Gloop song. "Why did you have to pick that costume among a lot others that are LESS MUSICAL!" Danielle yelled. She took out her wand and pointed it to Sirius. "Silencio!" she said. There was a flash of light as Sirius continued to mime out the words, still not giving up.

"Now that's over," Danielle said, taking off the mask. "I would like to change into a costume that would guarantee a non singing and non scaring effect." She walked behind a stack of boxes, arranged into a cubicle, and began to change. Fred and George stopped their conversation and stood up. "Can I have a different costume?" Fred asked. "I think I've wet mine." "No that's mine," George said. "You just think you feel it." "I think I'll go get another costume," Fred said, walking to the back of the boxes. Poor guy, he had no idea what was he getting himself into. This is a moral, my dear readers, always pay attention, if you don't…

"Fred!" Danielle shrieked. "Get out!" There was a sharp sound as Fred flew out and hit the wall. "Sorry, kung fu reflexes," Danielle said. "Pretty girl in thong gave me a whoppy on my tushee," Fred said groggily and fainted. If this was a cartoon, you'd probably see blue songbirds flying around his red hair.

"You wear a thong?" Sirius asked. "Don't get any ideas," Danielle asked, coming out. The rest of them were crowded around Fred and were not really helping, but decorating him again. Danielle was, this time, wearing a black ninja suit. A samurai sword and a few metal, sharp stars were attached to her belt. She covered her mouth and nose with the black material and walked over to Sirius as George clipped colourful ping pong balls to Fred's hair.

"So, last night," Sirius said. "Last night…" Danielle said, her voice trailing off, playfully. "Come of it," Sirius said. "You we had a moment." "Like this?" Danielle asked, lowering and kissing him once more, this time, on the lips. "That one was better," Sirius muttered as she pulled away. "Really know how to knock out a guy don't you?" "Are you meaning that literally?" Danielle asked, the fabric covering her mouth and nose once more. She laughed at Fred as George happened to find a pair of Muggle glasses with springy eyes. Fred was looking a little spastic as George decorated him with girl makeup.

"They are a real bunch of jokers, aren't they?" Danielle asked, turning back to look at Sirius. "Danielle?" Sirius asked nervously after a few minutes. "Hmm?" Danielle replied. "I love you," Sirius said. Danielle was quiet for a moment. "I love you too, Sirius," she said, her smile hidden behind the costume.

**(A/N: I know it's more shorter, but I just wanted to add a little more romance between those two. Both from twisted backgrounds and both have lost members of their family to the Lord Voldermort)**


	22. The Painful Scar of Her Past

**(A/N: Thank you all my special reviewers! Hyper people are good. I'm one myself. Anywhoo, don't expect me to kill Draco. Y'know why? –hugs Draco- Cause, he's my favourite character and I won't let death take him away from my story.**

**_Draco: Gerroff me!_ As you all can see, I'm a major fan and will never ever never ever never ever kick him out from my special fanfic.**

_**Draco: Make her stop! Too much attention!**_

**On with the story, as I always say.**

**_Pansy: Don't worry, Drakie-poo, I'll save you_**

_**Draco: -sweat drop- No no no, It's okay, no need to do any hero saving and stuff. Enjoy the story Mudbloods!**_

–**ahem- Author is a Muggle, Draco is in big trouble.**

**_Draco: Pansy! HELP!_)**

Water drips off the roof top of the gift store, the moon has been showing for more than twenty four hours and the Sun had shown no signs of rising. All of them were in the dark, engulfed by the bright red glow of the lanterns. Many people walked past the alleyway, but, fortunately, none resembled Draco Malfoy. Dressed up people of all ages walked by, a solemn expression plastered on each pale face that glanced at them. Nadia had became a little paranoid, jumping at every drip of water that touches the floor. She had been reading old newspapers left in the alleyway to past time. But every article she read revealed murders, kidnaps and murderers on the loose. Ironically, all of these crimes happened in Bloodshot Alley.

Harry and the gang were sitting down in a corner, playing a game of Exploding Snap. They wanted to go on with the journey when Fred woke up but that took longer than expected. After about fifty two games of snap, Fred, the amazing still sleeper, began to show some signs of life.

"Good morning star shine, the Earth says hello!" Fred muttered these words as he groggily stood up and brushed away the dust from the purple costume he was wearing. Wait… Purple?

"I though it was Willy Wonka who said that," Lily said, hiding her giggles.

"Yeah, but Barney the dinosaur can say whatever he wants," James said, bursting out laughing.

"Barney?" Fred asked, raising his eyebrow. "You mean that old Muggle children's show with that dinosaur and that 'I love you' song? Because… Ack! I'm in a Barney suit! Ahhhh!"

"Let's skip the nonsensical screaming and go on with the journey," Hermione said. "We wasted a lot of time in the alley."

"I agree," Lily said. "Let's go already."

As they walked out of the alleyway, they were greeted by a few stares, mostly addressed to Fred, and enthusiastic hand-waving. After an hour or so of silent walking, George said, "Can we stop for the night?" Elvira checked her watched and nodded. "It's twelve midnight," she said, giving a big yawn. "I'm tired too; can we get a place to sleep over that is not an alleyway?" Danielle said, rubbing her back.

"What about here?" Nadia asked. She was looking at a greyish run down building. The door was hanging from rusty, creaking hinges and the windows were almost opaque with dust. Some shutters were covered in green moss and most of them had fell down and were now used as signs. There was a sign with some Chinese letters and a picture of a Dementor, amazingly, an English translation of the sign hung under the dark picture. It said, 'The Dark Demented Inn, no dead or walking corpses allowed' Nadia shrugged and pointed to a piece of paper that was pasted to one of the windows. "Two rooms for rent, daily rent of one Knut," Danielle read the sign aloud. "Convenient?"

"We need a place to stay and the saying goes, beggars can't be choosers," Remus said, staring at the ugly old building that was looming over them.

"Moony is right and I'm feeling embarrassed enough of walking past people holding brooms and I don't have one," James said. Everyone stared at him. "He's ambitious in Quiddich," Sirius said. "More like obsessed," Lily said. She patted his back as Ron shrugged and walked closer to the door.

"Let's go you lot," Ron said, holding the handle. He opened the door and went in. The rest followed him and all walked nervously past the oddly dressed customers, all whom which, were holding a flask of Firewhisky. Soon, they found themselves face to face with the bartender. She was a chubby woman who was in her early thirties. Her hair was tied into a messy ponytail and her clothes were mismatched. A red bandana covered the top of her head. She wore a simple polka dotted dressed and two black high heel shoes. Lavender and Parvati would have squealed in horror at the 'fashion disaster', so called, if they were here.

"Um, well, we're here," Ron began but was cut off as the lady raised a hand, silencing him instantly. She went to the back and soon a girl, who was in her early twenties was pushed out. She was quite pretty unlike the woman earlier. Her short, wavy hair rested on her shoulders and her blank eyes stared at them. She held a thin, metal pole which she tapped around for a moment. She wore a red, boat-neck shirt, which revealed her white shoulders, and a black skirt.

Harry sneezed as the girl accidentally tapped a weak floorboard and white powder flew everywhere. The girl instinctively looked at Harry's direction but didn't really seem to notice him. "How can we help you?" she said in a quiet but bold voice. "We were wondering about the sign over there," Ron said. "We would like to rent the rooms." The girl nodded and she groped around under the counter, her misty eyes still plastered at Harry's shoulder.

"Sorry if I seem nosy," Sirius said. "But what are you looking at past our friend's shoulder?"

The girl looked at Sirius's direction as she took out a key. "I, unfortunately, cannot see," she said in a quiet tone. "Here," she took out two keys and put it on the counter. "Enjoy your stay."

As Harry and the rest of them went up the creaky stairs, Danielle stayed behind and looked at the blind girl. "Yes?" she asked, noticing her presence. "I'm just sorry for my boyfriend's sudden question, that's all," she muttered under her breath. "It's okay," she said. "I get those kind of questions quite a lot."

"Well, goodnight," Danielle said, walking towards the stairs. "Goodnight," the girl said, tapping her stick as she walked to the back of the shop.

Danielle slowly made her way up the stairs and to one of the rooms. The room was surprisingly clean and painted a light shade of blue. No windows could be seen and six bunk beds were in one side of the room.

She saw Hermione, Lily, Elvira and Nadia sitting quietly in a circle on the one of the beds. "Hi," Lily said. "Yeah, hi," Danielle muttered and climbed on the top bunk of the bunk beds. "Goodnight, I'm tired and hitting the sack," she said. "That blind girl was nice by the way," Nadia said. "Yeah, she could be a second Nadia," Lily said. "Hey!" Nadia said, grabbing a pillow and hitting Lily on the head with it.

"Hey, yourself," Lily said, hitting Nadia with another pillow. This soon led to a pillow fight which Danielle quietly ignored. It was all fun and games until some got hurt…

"Ouch!" Danielle said, gripping her right arm. She fell off her bunk with a thump. "Oww ow ow," she said, still grasping her arm. "What the matter," Lily said. "Oh no!" Nadia said. "It's happening," Elvira said. "Grab you wands, everyone!" "What's going on?" Hermione asked. "Something bad is going to happen, we need to get out. Now!" Nadia said.

"Can someone please," Hermione was cut off as she heard yells coming from the floor below. People were screaming and tables and chairs were falling. A figure stood on the doorway, his face etched with anger as he held a wand.

"WHERE ARE THEY!" Draco Malfoy yelled. His yells echoed throughout the building.

"Run for your lives!" Elvira said. "He's come back!" Thunder could be heard from the background, drowning out the people's voices below.

"Come on!" Lily yelled, getting the idea. "He's back!"

As the girls scrambled around the room, the boys were having a little difficulty finding their wands. "Hermione's got them," Viktor yelled finally. "Now you can say her name!" Ron yelled exasperatedly. "I had practise, alright?" Viktor yelled as he dashed to the door. "Well, practising to say names is not helping us at the moment," James said.

_In the girls' room…_

All of the girls dashed to the door. Before they could open it, a force had already pushed it open and Draco Malfoy walked in.

"Good evening, Danielle," he muttered, an evil smile appearing on his face. "We meet again."

The boys jumped as they heard the girls' loud screams from the other room.

**(A/N: I don't know if this is considered a cliffy but anywho, I need suggestions, stat. And until the next chapter, suspense will fill the air! And I still won't kill off Draco.**

_**Draco: PANSY!**_

**Goodnight! )**


	23. Memory of Redemption

**(A/N: This chapter will explain most things in this fanfic. That's all I'm revealing)**

"What the bloody Hell are you doing here?" Danielle half-yelled in Malfoy's face. "You were not supposed to be here, out of Azkaban, in China, in the same room as I'm in," she muttered, looking at the face that she hated for so long.

"Well, a good evening to you too," Malfoy said sarcastically, his face fixed in a deranged looking grin.

"Don't talk to me like that, we're not eleven anymore," Danielle said.

"Well, if we were eleven, I would have expected a better welcome that that, especially my favourite cousin," Malfoy said, his hand stroking Danielle's face.

"How many times do I have to tell you that we're not cousins," Danielle yelled hitting his hand away. "Your father made that piece of information clear, remember?"

"Don't you dare bring that up in front of me!" Malfoy yelled back.

"I am not your servant, Draco. I don't have to do whatever you desire on my own free will!" Danielle yelled back. "I'll never," Danielle muttered, turning away from him. "You used to," Malfoy muttered, his eyes fixed on his cousin, sadness suddenly appearing in his eyes. She turned her head around and looked at her cousin. She knew what he was thinking of because she was thinking the same thing, the same memory, the memory that appeared in their minds for the first time in six years, an incident that changed their lives and who they were forever…

_5th December 199o, Malfoy Manor, 3.47pm…_

"Drakie? Where are you, you silly goose?" a small platinum blonde girl said in a sing song voice as she crawled out from under her bed. "I'm not silly, you China girl in blonde hair," a small boy said, jumping out from a closet, tackling his cousin to the carpeted floor beneath them. The two of them laughed hysterically as they rolled on the floor, tears of laughter streaming from their eyes.

"Yes, you are," the small, ten-year-old Danielle said. "Jumping out from you hiding place during a game of hide-and-seek like that! Now you're it!" "Have to catch me to make me it!" the small Draco said, scrambling to his feet and running out of the bed room. "Come back here, you Latin dragon!" Danielle said, laughing as she ran after him past the many corridors and staircases of Malfoy Manor. Danielle stopped in the middle of a dark basement and just remembered that she was afraid of the dark.

She began to walk, her hands stretched out, trying to feel anything in front of her. She felt like Jennifer, walking around every day for the rest of her life in darkness, holding only a silver cane for guidance, can't see what's around the corner or anywhere else exactly. "Drakie. Draco, where are you?" Danielle said completely frightened out of her wits. "You know I hate the dark, Draco," she said.

Suddenly, a hand clamped over her mouth and dragged her to her right. She saw the out line of her cousin as a very faint light could be seen the dark basement. He lowered his hand and brought a finger to his equally frightened face. "I'm afraid of the dark too, remember?" he muttered. 'Call me silly to run into a dark basement. No, call me crazy."

Suddenly, a flickering orange-yellow sliver of light appeared along the floor and the wall. Someone had lit a fire in the secret room in the basement that Danielle had once ran into during a game of hide-and-seek. Needless to say, Draco never found her until she got bored and snuck up behind him and yelled in his ear while he was reading a book.

"No, Lucius, no," Danielle's father said from behind the door. Danielle and Draco looked at each other and snuck closer to the hidden wooden door that was open a little. Danielle kneeled down to let her cousin get a better view of the incident in the room. "Thanks," Draco whispered as he peeped into the room. A platinum blonde man looked calmly at a dark haired man in front of the fireplace. "I appreciate your offer, Lucius, but I think my daughter can take care of herself," Danielle's father said. "Nonsense, Felix, she's a girl and my son will look out for her as though she was gold, as he is currently doing," Lucius said, looking at his brother.

"Are you saying that my daughter is a weak, useless female who couldn't do anything herself? Because she can protect herself, thank you very much," Felix said, his Chinese face heating up from anger.

"Dear Felix, I am saying nothing of the sort," Lucius said, laughing. "I am just saying that it's a dangerous world out there, especially for a girl. If you would agree to my offer, your daughter will be in the safe hands of Draco. She needs a guard, Felix, and you know it," Lucius added.

"Do you want me to sacrifice my daughter's free will for safety?" Felix yelled. "Free will is a small price to pay," Lucius said. "No it isn't!" Felix yelled. "And this is coming from my brother!" "We are not brothers!" Lucius yelled. "Mother adopted you illegally and without signing anything! You are no brother of mine and Danielle is no Malfoy!"

"It may be true, but then why are you insisting Draco to be her guard when she's not his cousin or a member of this family?" Felix asked. Lucius gave him a look. "No," Felix said. "I will not marry off my daughter to someone who she thinks was her cousin." "It's the only way to bind our families together legally," Lucius said. "Alright, Draco can be my daughter's guard but he will not marry her, he will not be her husband and he will most certainly never hurt her in any way," Felix said after a few minutes, staring at the flickering fire that was dying out.

"You have my word," Lucius said. "Bring her down here with Draco and we shall let the ceremony begin." Felix walked quickly to the door and opened it, revealing two so called cousins who were listening to their every word. "Hi there," Draco said. "I have no time for this," Felix said, dragging Draco and Danielle to the middle of the room.

They sat in silence as their fathers flipped through an old dog eared book. They stopped at a page and looked at each other. Lucius walked to the two kids on the floor. "Stretch out your right arm," he muttered. "Roll up your sleeves and wait in silence." Danielle and Draco did as they were told and looked at each other.

Felix walked over to them and pulled out his wand. Lucius did the same and both of them pointed the tip of their wands to their child's arm. "Adnecto ambo catenatus," the two fathers said in unison. A stream of silver substance dripped from the wands onto their child's arms. It stung Danielle but she kept a straight face. The substance stopped dripping from the wands. The silver liquid stayed on their arms like mercury. Suddenly, it slowly disappeared and in its place, a symbol was left on their arms. It showed a symbol of two snakes curling around each other.

"When danger is near, this symbol will sting," Lucius said. "You are connected by pain and emotion, permanently. Now, go to your rooms!" The both of them scrambled to their feet and ran out of the room in silence. "Did you think they heard us?" Felix asked. "Yes. It would be a painful start for them but you have my word, your daughter is in guaranteed safety." "I hope you're right, but who is going to protect her when he's dead?" Felix asked. "An interesting promise in the spell, both of them can't die," Lucius said, smirking. "You mean," Felix asked. "Yes, they're both immortal," Lucius said.

_To reality…_

Hermione stood in front of Danielle. "Y-You stay away from Danielle!" she stuttered, holding her wand with a shaky hand. Beads of sweat clung to her frizzy hair and her eyes looked at Malfoy with terrified determination. She had never thought he would get to them so fast.

"Don't you dare hurt her," Lily said, raising her wand.

"I would never hur-" Malfoy began but was cut short.

The boys ran in and instinctively tackled Malfoy to the ground. "You stay away from her!" Ron yelled, punching his stomach. "You stay away from Danielle!" Sirius yelled, punching his limbs. Draco Malfoy lay under the group, wincing as every blow injured a part of his body. His head lay out of the pile, coughing out drops of blood. The girls around her cheered the boys on but Danielle still had a soft spot for her once favourite cousin. Tears ran down her cheeks as she saw him in this state. She turned away and tried to shut out the pain that also coursed through her body. She couldn't stand it any longer.

"Stop it!" she yelled. "Just stop it, he may be a murderer, he may have insulted everyone's family he may be the cause of my sadness a few weeks ago but he is still my cousin and I can't see him in this state!" The boys got off Draco who was wheezing with every breath. Every rib was broken and his organs were a mess. His limp hand let go of his wand which rolled away. She kneeled down beside him and broke down completely. Her head leaned against his messy hair and her hand wiped the tears that were streaming from his blank face.

"I think he's dead," Nadia said. "No, he's not," Danielle said. "He's breathing and his heart's still beating." "You think we should get a medi-wizard?" Lily asked. "No need," Danielle said in between sobs. "Danni, we're so-" James said. "I know," Danielle said. It was an odd sight to see but a good one to remember.

"Danni," Draco said in a hoarse voice. "I don't want to work for Voldermort anymore." "I know you don't I can feel it," Danielle said. Draco tried to say something but only choked mutters could be heard. "Don't try to strain yourself." "I'm sorry for the things I did," he said. "But he will kill my family. He'll kill you." "No he won't," Danielle said. "Danni?" Draco said. "Yes?" Danielle asked. "You're my favourite cousin," Draco said a real smile appearing on his face. The last bone in him healed and he could breathe normally again. "You're my favourite cousin too," Danielle said, kissing Draco's forehead as the others felt feelings of guilt and confusion.

**(A/N: Let me tell you a secret, I almost cried when I read the chapter one more time. I'm very emotional. So, tell your friends and anyone who understands Harry Potter. Cause there's a new member to the travelling group and he's attracting some attention from the girls… Jealousy is a green-eyed monster in all of us, but Ron will be the scariest one of all)**


	24. In an Enemy We Trust?

**(A/N: This chapter is filled with cold shoulders and colder answers aimed at, obviously a certain platinum blonde haired boy)**

"So, let me get this straight," Draco said as they walked out of Bloodshot Alley. He had taken off the masked costume that was hiding him so that he won't attract attention. "We are going somewhere, but you won't tell me where, to do something, you won't tell me what, for a reason, you won't tell me, that has something to do with these people that you won't tell me."

"Yeah, somewhere around those lines," Sirius said coldly as they walked off into another magical forest. Colourful exotic birds were chirping and squawking and odd curious-looking animals hung from the branches in a sloth-like manner. The Sun could barely be seen through the overlapping tree tops. Shadows covered the group, making it look as though they were covered in black spots.

"But with more information," Ron said, his voice icy. "But we won't tell you that," Harry said. "Wow, the boys can really hold a grudge," Nadia whispered to Hermione, behind the boys who walked silently. "What do you expect, he is a murderer," Hermione said. Draco had gotten bored and had slowed down his walking to have a conversation with the girls since the boys had no interest in talking with a murderer and enemy and, according to Ron, pain in the neck.

"So, what do you normally do on these," Draco struggled to find a word that won't insult then. "Long walks?"

"Don't know," Danielle said, looking at an odd looking green and silver toucan like bird. "I just joined the club."

"So, Granger," Draco said. "Wha-"

"We walk quietly and maybe find something interesting to see or run away from something that wants to eat us," Hermione said.

"Okay…" Draco said. "What about-"

"Stop trying, Drake," Danielle said. "They'll only hate you more."

"What's that?" Elvira asked, pointing to a scar that was on his neck.

"Nothing," Draco said, clapping his hand over the scar. "It's nothing."

"Do you notice that it's more quiet than usual," Nadia asked. "You know the walk?"

"Nothing much to talk about," Lily said.

"Not really," Hermione said.

"I should've expected this," Draco said.

"Expected what?" Danielle said distractedly as all the birds began to mysteriously fly away all at once. Danielle wasn't superstitious about animals predicting disasters but she was still amazed and astonished.

"This, this no one talking to me thing," Draco said.

"You should've after what you've done on the past," Sirius said.

"And what your father did," James said.

"Excuse me, but my father-"

The ground suddenly began to vibrate, cutting their conversation, or should I say, argument, short. The vibrating became more violent and the others were thrown off their feet. "Earthquake!" Lily yelled. A small crack appeared in the ground. "That's not good," Fred said. The crack grew longer and began to move in two separate directions; splitting the two groups apart. The group were too shocked to move as the crack grew to a metre wide, revealing the boiling hot lava at the bottom.

The ground suddenly gave a big jolt and Harry, Ron, James and Sirius were thrown into the pit. The group shouted their names at the same time. Draco crawled to the edge and saw Harry holding on to a second ledge inside the crack. The rest of the boys were holding on to Harry for dear life. Harry yelled as his left hand gave way. 'It's amazing how he's strong enough,' Draco thought. He shook off the thoughts and reached out his arm. "Potter! Grab my arm," Draco yelled to him. "What? So you can hold me out and drop me? I don't think so!" Harry yelled stubbornly.

"DO you want to live, Potter?" Draco yelled into the pit.

"Harry! Grabbit!" Sirius yelled to him. "Grab the hand."

"Harry, don't do it! It's a trick!" James yelled.

"Harry, I'm slipping!" Ron yelled as his hand slipped from Harry. He fell for a second but was caught by Sirius. "Hold on mate!" Sirius yelled.

Harry looked down at Ron, then at Draco's extended hand. His mind was debating whether to do it. "Come on, Harry," Lily muttered as she and the rest stood on the opposite of Draco. Harry made up his mind. He reached out his left hand. It was only a foot far. A few inches, centimetres… His right hand slipped from the ledge. "Noooooooooo…" Harry yelled as he fell to the fiery river underneath him. Draco's hand was out of reach.

This was the end of him…

Draco saw his enemy fall. It was a now or never decision. Without thinking, Draco fell into the pit with Harry and the others. The girls, twins and Viktor held their breath.

Draco fell faster than Harry. Once he was a foot under the chain of falling boys, he pulled out his and yelled. "Protego!" Everything was in slow motion. A green starry, glittery light formed a shield from his wand. It came in contact with Ron's back and the group was repelled back to solid ground above. Draco threw his wand upwards and fell into the lava.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh.." the group yelled as they shot out from the pit, a few feet higher and fell to the ground. They noticed they were alive and rejoiced. But then, "Where's Malfoy?" Ron asked. A slim strip of wood hit him on the head. "That's Malfoy's wand," Harry said. "Oh, God," James said. "He sacrificed his life for us," Sirius said and started a speech of Draco like those in a funeral.

There was a loud bubbling sound and the lava spat out a burnt robed Draco Malfoy out of the pit. Draco landed on the boys side of the crack. Harry, James and Ron stared over Sirius shoulder as Draco smiled and waved back at them. Sirius, on the other hand, didn't take any notice and continued with his speech. "He was a good friend, cousin and son," he said. "If I could have a wish come true, I would wish that Draco Malfoy would be thrown out of that wretched river of lava and stand here with us. I would then swear to accept him as a real member of this now saddened group and would keep him company if you all still can't forgive him. But things like that only come in miracles. At least let his spirit rest in peace. Here lies the remains of Draco Malfoy, a good friend, a loving cousin and the son of Death Eaters."

"The ending could've been better but I give it a nine out of ten," Draco said. "You're alive!" Sirius yelled, turning around. "Guys, he's alive!" "Oh my, well spotted," James said sarcastically.

Hermione conjured up a bridge and the others crossed the river of lava cautiously. "You saved Ron!" Hermione said happily as she hugged Draco. Draco was lost for words and simply gaped like a fish. "You saved them!" the trio of Chinese girls and Lily chorused as they hugged Draco. Draco stood there, wide-eyed as he was surrounded by a group of emotional girls.

"They certainly like him now, huh?" Fred asked, nudging Viktor.

"Yes, they certainly do," Viktor said.

"Three cheers for Draco Malfoy! A new member and a forever friend!" Remus yelled.

"Hip hip hurray! Hip hip Hurray! HIP HIP HURRAY!" all of them chorused.

**(A/N: Don't think this is a happy ending, no, there's still more twists and turns to come. Keep in touch –pause- -bursts out laughing- I'm sorry, we had Mandarin Class in school today and someone, who is not me, said 'Let's keep touching' instead of the proper translation which is 'Let's keep in touch' Why am I telling you this? Laughter is the best medicine and clowns are doctors)**


	25. Confrontation With Fear

**(A/N: Thank you, dear reviewers, I am very sorry of the delays of my chapters. School has been murderous and my chapters will probably come out weekly or so. So sorry, but in the mean time, let's savour this chapter or something along those lines)**

A sigh escaped the lips of a teenage Draco Malfoy. It was around midnight, he didn't know, and the only illumination was the glittering stars and the radiant glow of the moon. It wasn't a full moon; his father said that the full moon was tomorrow night, like he cared. He looked up the sky, regretting everything that he had ever done. He had done most of them by fear of his father and he was ashamed that he had done some on his own free will. The group had partially forgiven him for his past actions and had accepted him into the gang. He had, however, discovered the names of the four strangers and nothing more.

The others were sleeping soundly around him. It was one of those nights, but Fred and George has kicked Draco tonight. He was outraged for the first few times but after the fifth, he decided to stay awake since there was no hope of getting a good night's sleep. He remembered Hogwarts during his first year; he met Harry and had unknowingly mocked his friend. That was his first mistake that soon led to others, the more he did, the more unforgivable the so called mistakes became.

Draco shook the thoughts that had haunted him for so long and rested his head on the sleeping bag cushion. He felt a jerk at his side; he didn't bother to look around and tried to ignore it. Another jerk and murmuring followed soon after the first. He pressed his eyelids together and tried to fall asleep. Suddenly, someone grabbed his robes and pulled, hard. That caught his attention. He sat up and turned around, only to see Harry. Sweat glittered on his neck and around his ears under the moonlight. One hand was holding Draco's robes and the other was grasping his forehead. His murmurs soon grew louder and then, hissing followed; the same hissing that Harry used on their second year during the Duelling Club.

"Potter, Potter," Draco said, shaking Harry's shoulder. Harry muttered a chain of hexes and incantations. Draco was ashamed to say that this frightened him a little. Harry suddenly gave a big gasp and sat up. He was taking deep breaths and grasping his scar. "Voldermort knows," Harry said in between breaths. "He's ordered someone to get us. He knows where we are." "What? How do you know all this?" Draco asked, obviously not used to Harry's predictions about the Dark Lord.

Suddenly, the moon turned a shade of pale pink, then, a dark shade of rose, and finally, red. The crimson moon glowed brightly and the stars soon, looked like little red eyes. The sky and the ground below it had turned blood red. "What's happening?" Draco asked. "They're coming," Harry said. "Wake the others." Draco didn't usually take orders from people especially not from Harry Potter, but this wasn't a usual, ordinary day.

"Wake up!" Draco yelled. The gang woke up instantly and stared at the red moon. Hermione gave a loud shriek. "What's wrong?" Ron asked, frantically. "Red moons mean only one thing," Hermione said. "Rouge vampires," Lily said. "Rouge vampires?" Draco asked. "Vampires who work for you-know-who," Remus said. "That's not good," James said. "Don't worry, their bite only infect the old and the sick," Lily said. "But they do damn hurt," Remus muttered. "Oh, thank you, I feel so much better," Sirius said sarcastically.

The night suddenly was filled with the sound of flapping leather wings. Bats screeched and could be heard from every direction. Soon, a flight of bats flew across the moon and flew straight at them. Everyone scrambled to their feet and ran for dear life. As Draco looked behind him, what he saw almost made him scream for his mother. Their red eyes could be seen on their sickly white face. Their two fangs could be seen poking out from the corners of their black-lipped mouth. Their long, black hair flew over their face; they didn't seem to bother to pull it back. Black robes were what they wore. As the sleeves of their robes flapped, Draco could see the Dark Mark permanently visible on their skin. For people who were once old and sick, they looked young. Draco assumed it was because that old people turn young when they were bitten.

"Ze Dark Lord iz expecting you," a female vampire said. "Don't try to keep him vaiting!" "Grab all of zem," a male vampire said. Almost at once, fourteen vampires swooped down and grabbed the group. They tried to fight back, but vampires were stronger and more agile than mere mortals and –cough, cough- two immortals; that have the strength of mortals. The vampires soon grew tired of the thrashing and squirming that they knocked the group out cold.

_Deep in an eerie castle, a teenage boy was being tortured unmercifully by Tom Marvolo Riddle, alias, Lord Voldermort…_

"You disgust me!" Voldermort said, kicking the already bleeding Draco Malfoy as the others watched in silence. The gang was chained to the wall and was eyeing a reptile with terror. Nagini, Voldermort's enormous snake, was keeping watch over them. She had orders to bite and inject poison into anyone of the group that tries to get free.

Voldermort turned away from Draco Malfoy, who was lying, immobile, on the floor, and faced Harry. Voldermort smirked and stared into Harry's eyes. Harry knew, at once, what he was attempting and looked away. Occulemency could only be done if both are looking into each others' eyes. "Smart boy," Voldermort commented; turning away and watching Draco cough out large amounts of blood. He then, looked at Harry who was looking at him with a brave expression, waiting for the moment when Voldermort will kill him.

"Harry Potter, you think I would kill you now?" Voldermort said in his raspy voice. "No, I would never do that so fast. No, most certainly no. I will make you see your little friends scream with pain and anguish as I torture them. Once all of them go insane or," Voldermort paused and laughed at the thought. "Dies, I will point my wand at you, Harry. Point my wand at a broken down man and mutter my favourite spell. I want to see you suffer before I kill you, Harry. I want you to feel as I did for the fourteen years after I killed your dear protective parents. They sacrificed their life on you, Harry. You know, Harry, after I set fire on your house, with you in it, I was thinking. Thinking that your parents were over protective, so over protective it was foolish and foolishness always lead people to one place, Harry. Death," Voldermort laughed and turned on his heel. He walked out of the giant chamber and out the great double doors. The doors shut and there were sounds of clinking chains and locks. They were trapped.

Draco was still on the floor, the blood that was gushing out before, was slowing down and he was healing, very slowly, but all the same, healing. A pair of shackles and handcuffs, connected to large chains, slithered to him, like snakes eager to catch their prey, and dragged him back to the wall. Everyone could see his face. Tears of pain was welled up in his eyes had started to stream down his cheeks. Both of his eyes were black and cuts and scars covered his once white cheeks. He was in a pitiful state and he looked away from them in shame. And, in the third time in Harry's life, he saw his enemy crying. Draco's arrogance was gone and was replaced by embarrassment. Danielle motioned them to look away and she started to comfort him. "I don't know how we can get out of this one guys," Harry muttered. "I've got nothing. Death Eaters are guarding the doors, the snake sitting there, ready to attack, and all of us chained up here, Malfoy um never mind about Malfoy. Does anyone have any ideas?"

There were murmurs of 'no' and 'not really' and Harry sighed. There was no more hope. The moment he feared the most had come. His friends were trapped because of him and they were going to be tortured, one by one, until he was left. Harry wasn't afraid of death, he was afraid of his friends' safety. He needed to get them out of this place and let Voldermort kill him instead of his friends. He couldn't watch them die. As he began to think of ways to escape, reality suddenly came to him. Harry sighed again.

Harry closed his eyes and leaned his back against the wall. He stopped straining his mind to let the painful truth sink in. "There's no way of getting out," Harry muttered under his breath.

**(A/N: There were times, of sorrow and pain,**

**At those times, you should not strain,**

**In the end, the evil will be slain**

**And we will continue with life again.**

**I am considered an artist with words and I just written a short saying for you to lighten your moods. Bear in mind, most of the sayings that I write in my author's notes are written by yours truly, unless of course, if I say. 'I quote')**


	26. Torturing Oneself for Love

**(A/N: If you noticed, my chapter are getting a tad bit more dark than usual. I always thought I was best at making dark stories/poems. Anywho, let's see what our group of prisoners are doing…)**

It was still night when the group fell asleep in the dungeon after their confrontation with Voldermort. The eerie silence continued the whole night, undisturbed. The only sound was the dripping of water from another end of the room which was covered with stalagmites and stalactites. It was around five on the morning when Harry woke up sleepily. He sighed. "Only three hours of sleep," he muttered. He lied down on the floor again and shut his eyes. Suddenly, the doors flew open. They slammed against the walls and the clang echoed throughout the room. Harry's eyes darted open as he looked at Voldermort who has walked into the room, the hem of the back of his robes trailing behind him.

"Wake up!" Voldermort yelled. "Wake up!" The rest of them woke up immediately, their faces still sleepy and drowsy. He walked towards the chained heap of teenagers on the floor. His eyes trailed away from Harry, and searched the rest of them. His face was stony and Harry couldn't read his expression but Harry knew he was looking for the one that was closest to Harry; Harry's closest friend in other words.

Harry crossed his fingers behind his back and stared at Voldermort, hoping that he would not turn to Ron and Hermione. Voldermort took no notice of Harry and looked at Fred and George with much interest, but turning away after a moment or two later. "Just to let you off easy, Harry," Voldermort said in his high and raspy voice. He had given up on finding Harry's weak point and was looking at Danielle. "I'll choose the other immortal." Danielle put on a strong face as she was dragged by her chains to the centre of the room. As soon as Voldermort let go of the chains, they released the prisoner and slithered back to the rest of the group.

Voldermort whipped his wand out of his pocket and pointed it directly at Danielle's heart. "Crucio," he whispered. A jet of green light shot from his wand and connected with Danielle, the green light spread through her body and she screamed. She was surrounded by a green glow which pierced her skin and twisted her body in impossible positions, but left it unmarked. Her screaming became louder and more unbearable.

Harry tried to run towards Voldermort but the chains had a mind of their own. They dragged him back and started to continuously slam him against the wall. They threw him a few feet away and dragged him back fast and slammed him like a cracking whip. Voldermort smirked at him as the others tried winced as they tried to help Harry. The chains had tightened their grip and were cutting their skin. He laughed at the pain that the group was receiving. Voldermort lifted the curse from Danielle and pointed his wand at the bewitched chains. He swept his wand over them and the chains loosened their grip on the group and the slamming stopped.

He did a jab motion on everyone and their cuts on their wrists and ankles were healed. They looked at Voldermort, utter confusion written over their faces. "I don't intend for you to bleed to death before you have received your punishments," Voldermort said. "Anyway, the Mudbloods will just stain the floor with you dirty blood. There was a jangle of chains as most of the group tried to get out of their shackles and handcuffs. "I seem to have touched a nerve," Voldermort said mockingly. "But I will numb your nerves afterwards with my punishments. Soon after a few days, I guarantee, all of you will be rubbing your sore or torn muscles soon."

Voldermort turned around and face Danielle. "Crucio," he muttered. The spell surrounded her body once again and she began to squirm as her arms and legs bent in the wrong ways. Blood streamed from her limbs, this time and her screams pierced invisible holes of guilt in Harry's heart. He looked at her, feeling useless and good-for-nothing as he saw her twitch.

Draco on the other hand, wasn't taking this so well either. In fact, he was feeling worse. He scrambled to his feet and tried to make his way towards her. The chains tightened their grip, making slits on his wrists and ankles. Blood streamed out but they were quickly replaced as he healed. He fell and the chains dragged him back. Nagini bit his thigh and he felt paralysed for a few minutes but felt normal again. His head throbbed and pain was felt in every inch of his body. Not long enough, Draco was left in a bloody heap. Most of his arteries were punctured and blood streamed out. But he still lived and looked at Danielle, helplessly. The chains loosen their grip, but he jerked his hand again and the chains tightened their grip. He was punishing himself for not trying hard enough to help his cousin that he loved so much. He soon ran out of energy to move and the chains loosen. His slits and the snake bite healed and he took in a deep breath. This was always a sign that he had completely healed.

Soon, after, Voldermort lifted the curse with a bored expression. He walked slowly out of the room and the chains slithered to Danielle. Her eyes were wide and bloodshot and she made no movement. As soon she was with the group, Draco hugged her limp and greyish body. She was caught between life and death and the spell in both of them was shoving her back to the world of the living. Colour came into her face and her heart was beating again. She still lay limply in Draco's comforting arms and stared at the ceiling. She took in a deep breath but still laid immobile her arms hung, swaying, at her sides.

Sirius sat closely to both of them and stared at Danielle. "You really care for her, don't you?" Sirius asked.

"It's my duty and joy," Draco muttered.

"So, she's your cousin," Sirius said.

"No, my grandmother adopted her father unofficially," Draco muttered. "She's not my cousin."

"Do you love her?" Sirius asked.

"As family and a little more," Draco said. "But I know you love her too."

"Yeah, but you love her more, don't you?" Sirius said.

"I do," Draco said.

"You can have her," Sirius said. "You know, as you girl."

"But you love her," Draco said, looking up and staring at Sirius in disbelief.

"For as long as you know me, you know I can't handle commitment to someone," Sirius said, smiling. "You have already given her commitment. Anyway, I won't be here for long until I go. You'll probably never see me again. I want her to be happy with someone that has no intention of leaving. Someone who's always going to be there for her. Keep your commitment strong."

"Wise words come from people who understand," Draco said. "Thank you."

"Friends help each other out," Sirius said. "I made a promise on your fake grave. I will keep you company and accept you as a member of this group. That means everyone gets treated fairly and equally and gets what they deserve."

Danielle heard all this and smiled. "Good friends get what they deserve," she repeated. Her muscles were still sore and she winced as she sat up. She looked at Sirius and hugged him. "We'll still be friends," Sirius said patting her back. "I know," she whispered. "All of us are still friends to each other." After she said this, she gasped and collapsed. Draco caught her head as she held her stomach. There was a slit in her shirt and a red, glowing scar was visible. "I thought that you healed when you are injured," Sirius said. "Yes, but when we are really close to death, a painful scar forms as we come back to life. It's sort of the fine print of the immortality spell," Draco said, stroking Danielle's hair.

"Every day, I learn more and more," Sirius said in utter amazement. "That's life Padfoot," James said. "You'd better come over here, Moony is looking peaky." "I think I'm going to barf," Remus said. "Full moon tonight."

Draco looked at Remus, then remembered Professor Lupin. He looked at Harry and James and then at Lily. The resemblance was clear. Sirius, he had heard that name before. Draco was clueless at first, but he knew how to put two and two together. "Where did you say you guys came from?" Draco asked. "Uhhh," the Marauders said. "Or maybe, the question is what year?" Draco asked. "What are you talking about?" Elvira, Nadia and Danielle asked in unison. "You guys have got some serious explaining to do," Draco said. "That means, Sirius gets to explain," James said. "From all of you please, the truth is best told than kept," Draco said.

**(A/N: So, Sirius let Draco take over of loving Danielle. Anyway, he'll be back in time and continue with his life. The next time Danielle sees him, it'll probably be never as Sirius said. Sad endings make way for good ones, but this author is strange… And this author has total control of what happens. Until then, Harry Potter stories rule! And so does Emily Strange merchandise!)**


	27. Twins Overboard

**(A/N: Thank you all for your kind reviews! You guys and girls make me so happy! Today's episode will be more humorous and more PG-13. Young readers, beware! There are also spoilers from the all the movies and books let me add. But you all may already know that! Continue please…)**

"So, you guys are from the past," Draco muttered. "And you found Potter, Weasley and Granger and went to Professor McGonagall after you attacked me and shoved me in that broom closet," Draco paused and looked at Lily who was blushing. "And she gave you a map and a satchel, which Voldermort now has, and you had some weird adventures met Viktor here, sent me to jail, went to China, met Danielle and her friends and then welcomed me back to the group." "Briefly, yeah," Sirius said.

"And you need to get you four back in seven months' time or Harry will disappear, poof, be gone, do a Houdini trick forever," Nadia said. "But to do that you have to get a Phoenix feather from Ruby Mountains and go into the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic in London," Elvira continued. "Ding ding ding, we have a few winners," James said. "That took some easy math," Danielle said. "So, you and Lily are future husband and wife and future parents of Harry Potter," Nadia said. "Yeah," Lily muttered. The Chinese trio and Draco nodded.

"And you are really the suspected murderer, Sirius Black?" Nadia blurted out. Elvira and Danielle's attention flew back to Sirius. "I'm a suspected murderer?' Sirius asked, shocked. "Why didn't you tell me?" "You weren't supposed to know," Hermione said. Sirius groaned and buried his face in his hands. "And I went to jail?" his muffled could be heard from behind the fingers. "Azkaban," Harry muttered. Sirius groaned. "For almost thirteen years," Harry muttered. "What?" Sirius yelled. "Wow, I spent a few weeks in Azkaban and it almost drove me nuts, and you're going to be sent there for thirteen years," Draco said. "Including the Dementors." "It almost drove you nuts?" Ron asked. "Okay, I was on the very edge of going nuts," Draco said. "On the edge?" Ron asked. "Will you stop that?" Draco said.

Suddenly, the giant double doors of the dungeon flew open. Voldermort strode in, a frown plastered on his face. He turned to Harry and the group. He took out his wand and waved it. Green sparks flew out and a hissing sound could be heard. The sparks stopped in front of the group and a short, small table of food appeared before the petrified group. They looked stunned and stared at Voldermort. "I have no intention of letting you die a natural death and dying of hunger or thirst is not an option," Voldermort's raspy voice hissed. "And I have no intention of letting you die of poisoning. So, EAT!" His last two words echoed throughout the dungeon. He ignored their surprised looks as he strode out the doors. The doors slammed and a few small stones fell from the ceiling. He was not in a good mood.

"That was certainly unexpected," Lily said. She frowned as Sirius and Ron began to stuff their faces rapidly. "What?" Ron asked through his gigantic cheeks of food. "I was hungry." The rest shrugged and began to eat, seeing that their guinea pigs, a.k.a. Ron and Sirius had proven that the food wasn't poisoned. Harry and Draco were left sitting on the floor, not eating. The guilt had taken away their appetite. "So," Harry said. Draco turned around and faced Harry. "We can trust you now?" Harry asked. "Yeah, I guess so, since Voldermort hates me now, there's nothing on the Dark Side to go back to," Draco muttered. There was a moment of silence as Harry nodded. "So, can I ask you a question that you would answer truthfully to?" Harry asked. "What's your question, Potter?" Draco asked, not a bit of sarcasm, anger or sarcasm hinting in his voice, always a good sign. "You've been crying a lot lately, why is that?" Harry asked. Draco smirked, then he took a deep breath and a serious expression appeared on his face.

"Every since I was eleven, Potter," Draco began. "I've been told to hide my true emotions and feelings. I must throw away the feeling to cry, yell, to smile without a smirk or love. Hiding my emotions out of fear. My father always punished me whenever I show signs of these emotions because it shows weakness and no loyalty to the Dark Lord. It's stupid once you thought it over a few times you have been hit by the Cruciatus Curse a more than fifty times. But for the past few days, I could express my emotions freely. I have cried out the pain and anguish that has been kept in me for so long, that had haunted me for so long."

Harry nodded understandingly. "So, that's my explanation," Draco said. "Need any more, Potter?" "No, I just need a favour," Harry muttered. "Say the word," Draco said. "Just call us by our first names," Harry said, putting a hand on Draco's shoulder. Draco laughed. "Okay," Draco said mockingly. "If that's what you want, Your Majesty the Queen." "You just called me a girl," Harry said. "You just call my sister a girl," Draco said. "You don't have a sister," Harry said. "So?" Draco asked. Both of them laughed until Fred came over. "Oi you two love birds with birds," Fred said. "Get over here before Ron and Sirius eat all of the food." "We're not love birds," Harry and Draco said in unison. They tackled Fred to the ground. There was a jingling of chains and yells from the three of them. The others watched in amused silence.

"Okay, okay," Fred said after awhile. "I give up, white flag, surrender and all that jazz."

Their ringing laughter could be heard from their dungeon all the way to Lord Voldermort's room. He didn't fell anger nor did his veins at his temples pulsed. Instead he smirked. He laughed even; he was quite a sight, laughing for no particular reason. The older Peter Pettigrew stood in his usual dark corner, shivering as his master laughed. "They are laughing now, but they don't know that I know, Wormtail," Voldermort said after his moment of happiness, if you called it happiness. "What is it that you know, master?" Wormtail asked. "I know Harry Potter's soft spot which I can keep poking all I want," Voldermort said evilly. "How did you find out such important information while sitting in you study?" Wormtail asked in awe. "I have my ways of adding things together, Wormtail," Voldermort said. "Tomorrow, I'll strike."

Back in the dungeon, the Viktor, Golden trio and the Marauders were sitting in a circle, exchanging information about Quiddich as Remus, Lily and Hermione slipped out from the group and began to talk about their OWL results and compared the questions to see which year had the hardest test. Fred and George were talking to Elvira and Nadia. The two girls were laughing as the twin made wise cracks and jokes about random things. Draco and Danielle were in a corner, Danielle resting her head on Draco's legs as he stroked her hair. Danielle was spilling out her feelings and secrets as Draco listened to every word and added a few helping words. In other words, they were being themselves. Except for a little problem, Remus kept puking every thirty minutes that passed by.

There was a sudden change of light and the group looked up. There was the ceiling, but a small window could be spotted. It was pitch black and stars dotted the small piece of visible sky. The full moon was partially covered by a cloud and the cloud slowly drifting away. The white light touched the dungeon floor. It soon covered Remus who motioned them to back away. "You may want to look away, it's quite a painful process of transforming," Remus said, his voice choked with fear. The others backed away as they possibly could and watched as Remus was covered from head to toe with the moon's weak, yet radiant glow.

The girls looked the other way as Remus twitched. His legs bent and pushed him into a squatting position and grew a little bigger and dog like. His arms were hanging limply in front of him and were slowly getting covered in grey fur. His clothes disappeared underneath the rapidly growing fur, his feet grew bigger and his shoes slipped off and landed nearby the group. His face was getting hairier by the second and his eyes were terrifying. His pupils and iris had turned glowing red and the white parts had turned jet black. His nose grew longer and became a snout and his ears moved upwards and grew pointy and furry. The whole time he was transforming, he groaned and moaned as his skin stretched and his muscles expanded inside the amazingly strong shackles and handcuffs. His backbone bent backwards the whole way and there was a blood chilling sound, like knuckles cracking but it was ten times worst and it lasted for about thirty seconds. He looked away from the group as he was bent all the way back. He let out a howl, not loud, but audible that temporarily echoed through the dungeon.

Remus bent back and stared at the group. They could see his hungry expression as he eyed all of them, one by one, even though it was fur deep. He charged at them, James and Sirius reacted quickly. They transformed and knocked Remus the werewolf back, chains still clinging on them. The chains had been made in a way to hold on to the people no matter what they change into. James held Remus against the wall; Remus fought back and knocked James a few feet away. Sirius pounced on Remus's head and covered his eyes as James shook his giddiness off. It looked a little comical to see a stag shake its antlers like a dog.

Remus silently trashed around, trying to swipe off the black dog that was blocking his view. It was quite annoying, with Sirius around, every time is filled with annoyance whether he's human or dog. Remus finally found the use of his flexible front legs and threw Sirius off. The black dog flew from his head and crashed into Draco. Draco gave a shocked yell and pushed Sirius off him. "Ya, ya, ya!" Draco yelled as Sirius began to torture him; jumping at his head as though Draco's head was a chew toy. The others laughed as Sirius lifted his right leg in front of Draco, who yelled in terror and pushed him away. Sirius found it boring after a few minutes and went to help James. "What was that about?" George asked. "D-Dog. B-big fo-fo-Phobia," Draco stuttered. "Wot?" Ron asked. "He has a phobia of dogs, especially ones that try to pee on him," Danielle said. "Ohh," everyone chorused.

"At lest he's not afraid of ferrets," Viktor muttered. "You saw that?" Draco asked, turning his head around and looking at a smiling Viktor. "I saw a white ferret go down a boy's pants and it transformed into you," Viktor said. "How could I not?"

Meanwhile, the two Animagi has calmed Remus down and Remus was having a game with the two animals, completely ignoring the group of teens in one corner, a.k.a. werewolf chow. It was an okay night even when you're trapped in the same room with a werewolf. James and Sirius distracted Remus from the group, keeping them out of harm's way. The twins were now humiliating Draco unmercifully. "Fwaid of the wittle doggy-woggy?" Fred asked, ruffling Draco's platinum blonde hair. "Drakie-wakie need a hug?" George asked, stretching out his arms. "And they call me gay," Draco muttered.

"We are family," George chorused, swaying back and forth while holding a very annoyed Draco Malfoy in his arms. "I hate you, you know that?" Draco muttered. "Love you too," George said. "Eww, get off me," Draco said, pushing George off. "You tolerate Pansy," George said, letting go and putting on a mock hurt look. "You never gave me love," George said dramatically as he fell to Draco's crossed legs. The others were doubling over with laughter as Fred joined in. "You gave love to a pig yet you didn't give any to a Weasley," Fred gasped. "Why, Drake. Why?" "Firstly, I didn't give love to that Pansy Pig. Secondly, I'm not gay. And thirdly, my name is Draco, not Drake," Draco said. "Only Danielle's allowed to call me that." "Woo hoo, privileges!" Danielle said, raising her arms triumphantly. "What have they done to you?" Draco muttered.

"You don't have to be gay," Fred said, he put on a high pitched voice. "I can be feminine." "Give some love to me!" George said. "Make love with me!" Fred said. "Whoa! That's going over the deep end, Weasley!" Draco said, backing away. "I know," George said, his face screwed up in happiness and amusement. "I hate you," Draco muttered. "I know, He-Who-Fears-Canine," Fred said. Draco sighed.

**(A/N: Thank you for reading this chapter, please discard all empty popcorn boxes and soda cups in the nearest dustbin, Thank you. So, I know the ending was gross to a couple of you. But the rating does say PG-13. Anywhoo, please wait patiently for the next chapter and don't forget to review on you way out!**


	28. The Kiss That Never Happened

**(A/N: Thank you all reviewers! I hope you will like this chapter. Dislike it if you want but stay with me on the story here. In this chapter, Drama, Pain, Humour and Puppy Love! I love that word, puppy love, puppy love. Continue…)**

Thunder could be heard, temporarily drowning out the screams and shrieks that echoed in the empty and huge dungeon. It's painful to see people being tortured, especially if the victims are your friends. Harry sat there, guilt stabbing at his heart, staring at his Ron and Hermione twitching on the ground, covered in a mystical green glow as Voldermort stood over them, looking triumphant. A tear ran down Harry's eye as he cracked, he couldn't stand it anymore. "Stop it!" Harry yelled. "They haven't done anything to you! Why should you torture them? It's me that you want! Why not kill me now and get it over with!"

Ron twitched and fidgeted uncontrollably; Hermione was sobbing and gasping for air. "No, Harry," Hermione said, her voice choked with tears. "We won't watch you die because of us." "We've got your back," Ron said.

"Touching," Voldermort said. "You want to die, Harry? Then let me ask you this, do you want to die a coward? Yes, Harry, a coward. You are afraid to hear you friends scream and twitch in agony. That's being a coward. Why, I, myself, had heard my Muggle friends scream countless times and I was behind the wand, Harry." "You're wrong!" Hermione yelled, struggling to stand. "Sacrificing your own soul for the sake of others isn't fear, it's bravery!" The whole room went quiet. Everyone was utterly shock, even Hermione. No one had dared to talk back to Voldermort and yell, well, except for Harry.

Instead of yelling back at Hermione, Voldermort, without warning, laughed. It was a horrific laugh, one which made Harry's hair stand up and his blood go cold. Voldermort stopped abruptly and stared at Hermione. "Bravery is in you, girl," Voldermort said. "Bravery to stand up against an enemy. An enemy with a wand, let me remind you. But you have to remember, dear child," Voldermort paused. "No one talks to me like that!" he yelled. He pointed his wand at Hermione and said. "Crucio!" Tears formed in Hermione's eyes and ran down her bruised cheeks. Hermione let out an ear splitting shriek and collapsed to the ground. She twitched and her back bone bent more than it should go. Ron was affected and something in him snapped. Ron ran at Voldermort but he was knocked back. Voldermort wasn't so stupid to not cast a Force Field Charm around him to avoid interference. Ron hit the wall on the other side of the room and was knocked out. They could see blood trickling down his forehead.

"Ron!" Hermione screamed. Voldermort had enough drama and took off the curse with a grimace on his face. He walked away as the chains made their way to a sobbing Hermione and an unconscious Ron. He turned around and muttered a Healing Charm. Ron stopped bleeding but he was still knocked out. Hermione's backbone joined together but the intense pain remained. She was dragged back on her stomach by her legs; her hair was flying everywhere. The frizz was gone and her hair had gone limp and the curls were uncoiled. Everyone rushed to Ron as he was brought back, mouth open and eyes rolled back. He looked like he was in a come, but he was still breathing.

Hermione was brought back to her spot, but she refused to be talked to. She was left sobbing silently, alone. Normally Ron would have comforted her but look at him. She looked away from her boyfriend and stared at the jagged black marble floor. Draco was frightened at all the happenings and he stared at the red head and the Muggle born with no expression. Every one was fussing over Ron and he was left with Granger. 'How do I get myself into these kinds of situations?' he thought. 'Well, she's over there crying, the least I could do is make her happy. Yeah right, like that could happen. She's so miserable now. It's worth a shot; anyway, everyone is over there with Weasley, even Danielle. I'm not so good at pep talks.'

"Um, Granger, you alright?" Draco asked. ' 'You alright?' How lame is that? Of course she's not alright. I think she's going to hit me now. Hope it's not as painful as our third year. That blow really broke my nose,' Draco thought. Hermione looked away and shook her head. Draco reached out a hand and patted her back. "It's going to be alright, Wea- Ron is going to be fine," Draco said. Hermione reached out and hugged Draco, the whole time, crying on his shoulder. "He's in so much pain," Hermione stuttered in between sobs. "I couldn't stand it; with him laughing at us like that." "Shh, it's okay, don't cry," Draco said. "There's always a bright side. Anyway, you're weighing me down with your tears," he added with a nervous laugh. "This is your first time comforting a crying person, isn't it?" Hermione said, her voice muffled by Draco's thick shirt. "Yes, sorry," Draco said. "I think you should let go of me now that you've stopped crying." "Why's that?" Hermione asked. "Cause it's getting a little awkward and Ron is showing signs of consciousness," Draco said.

"I can't," Hermione said. "Why not?" Draco asked surprised. "My arms went stiff and I can't move the rest of my body that is neck down," Hermione said. "You're paralysed?" Draco asked. "Magically," Hermione said. "This happens on my first time?" Draco asked. "Don't be so self-centred," Hermione said jokingly. "A little help here!" Draco called out. The group looked around and stared at Draco and Hermione in shock. "She's magically paralysed, can someone lift her arms off me?" Draco asked. "We can't," Remus said. "If we move her when she's magically paralysed, she'll break her bones. You have to stay in that position until the magic wears off and, most importantly, don't move a muscle."

"If Ron kills me, please make me a nice funeral," Draco said. "I'm hugging his girlfriend here and he still hasn't trusted me! He'd think I was two timing or something!" "Well, I don't think that," Danielle said. "You don't but Ron can turn into a pretty nasty green eyed monster," Harry said. "Why not let Hermione marry Draco then?" Fred suggested. "I was engaged from birth, hello?" Draco said. "To whom?" Lily asked. "To the girl that's sitting next to you, a.k.a. me," Danielle said.

"I knew there was a special connection with you two!" Nadia exclaimed. "Enough gossip now, please," Draco said. "Gossip gives me a headache." Everyone kept quiet for awhile and stared at Ron. "I don't think any bones were left unhealed," Remus said, pressing Ron's limbs. "All arteries and blood vessels connected," Lily said. "He's in stable condition, doctor," George said. Lily and Remus looked at them as though they were nuts. "Commence operation, now," Fred said. "We're loosing him," George said, in a panicked voice. "Toot toot toot toooooooo…" "No! I won't loose him!" Fred exclaimed. "Okay you two, let's stop the role playing," Lily said. "Aww, but we were getting to the good part," George said. "Can we pway for five more minutes pwease?" Fred said in a mock child's voice. "You know, it would be easier to not move if you two keep making jokes," Draco said, stifling his laughter.

"What happened?" Ron asked, sitting up. "Ron?" Harry asked, looking at Ron. He waved a hand in front of his face. "You alright?" Harry asked. "How many fingers am I holding up?" James asked, holding up three fingers in front of Ron's face. "You okay, mate?" Sirius asked. "Yeah, yeah I'm alright," Ron asked, rubbing his temples. "Where's Hermione?" "Um, Hermione got paralysed," Lily said. "But it's temporary," Remus added at the look of Ron's face. "But she's in a position you shouldn't see until she can move away," Nadia added. "Why not?" Ron asked. "You would kill someone in a brutal way that none of us can describe due to its violence," Elvira said very quickly in one breath. "You know, she's right," Harry said. "Come on, guys, I can see it if I know 'that position' isn't on purpose," Ron said. "You know, the other person can't move either if you vant to risk some bones braking," Viktor said. "You got pretty jealous ven you saw me vith Hermione at the Yule Ball."

"I can handle it," Ron said. He stood up and saw Hermione with Draco. "Hi, Ron," the both of them said. "Unexpected, yet disturbing," Ron said, turning away. "Tell me when it's over and the when spell has worn off." "He's handling it better than we expected," Hermione said, smiling. "I know this is kind of off topic, but I just noticed that you looked so beautiful," Draco muttered. "Just noticed?" Hermione asked. Her face was turning a light shade of pink as she looked at Draco. "Well, the last physical contact that we had it's when I saw your fist, if I'm not mistaken," Draco said sarcastically. "And that's not really a feature that's supposed to be adorable." "True, but you really think I'm pretty?" Hermione whispered, her face turning scarlet.

"No," Draco said plainly, Hermione's face turned solemn. "I think you're beautiful." No one, but Danielle saw what Draco did that day. He kissed Hermione. Hermione's heart melted and she smiled at Draco when it was over. She felt guilty at the thought of Ron but shook it off as Draco whispered in her ear, "This never happened." Hermione nodded and looked at the group. As the group turned back to them, they acted like noting happened and rejoiced as Hermione felt the feeling come back to her arms. Danielle rolled her eyes at the usual Draco behaviour and winked at him as they helped Hermione up to her feet. Draco gave Danielle the thumbs up and blew a kiss but his expression changed as he saw one of the girls walking by.

**(A/N: We all know Draco Malfoy, he woos any girl he wants, he can make any girl melt with just one smile and wave, he breaks hearts, he manipulates but he's only truly in love with one person, me! –gets hit on the head with a bat- I mean, Danielle. But that doesn't stop his fun with other girls and I don't mean that in a dirty way, I mean that in a 'he flirts a lot' kind of way. Wait until the next chapter, the action begins and a new 'Draco Charm' target is spotted! Note: I don't do gay fanfics by the way, I'm not that creative. So don't expect any slashies in my fanfic nor future fanfics. I quote Dory from Finding Nemo: "Escapeh! Hmm, that's odd, it looks a lot like the word 'Escape'")**


	29. Flight of the Phoenix Prisoners

**(A/N: Enjoy this chapter. No torturing in it as it's only midnight. It's Hermione's turn to have a dream by the way)**

Hermione woke up from the same night mare that she had been having for the past week that she had spent in the dungeon. She shook off her sleepiness and rubbed her temples, trying to remember the vivid dream. She wanted to know what it meant. She searched through her mind and finally found a few pieces of the dream. She closed her eyes and remembered it. It was so vivid…

_Hermione was running away from a dark castle. She was alone and she climbed over gigantic rocks. Everything was dark and king cobras were chasing her. Their fangs were bared and ready to attack. Tears ran down her cheeks as she came to a dead end. She stood on the edge of a cliff, looking over a rapid river and sharp rocks. She took a deep breath and let herself fall off the edge. As she fell, she noticed a trap door a foot below the edge where she once stood. She shook her head as her head hit the sharpest rock. Then, white light engulfed her and she stood as a ghostly, translucent image, looking over the rocks and looking at the crimson river. A snake was behind her and bit her leg. She saw a glint of reddish gold and heard a bird singing. Then, she woke up._

The same dream repeated in Hermione's sleep continuously for the past nights. She was now convinced that these dreams meant something. But that was nonsense, she reassured herself. Dreams can't predict the future and a snake most certainly can't bite a ghost. She sighed and looked around the room. Normally, the way the twins slept amused her. Last night, she found Fred sucking his thumb and George making swimming movements while in their sleep. Harry was sleeping next to James and Lily, Sirius was moaning in his sleep about Rita Skeeter, Viktor's surly face was replaced by a look of blankness as his mouth was wide open and drool as running down from the wide open mouth, Nadia was muttering something in Arab as Elvira was singing, in a high pitched note, a Chinese song. Draco had his arm wrapped around Danielle's body and Remus was making 'bloop'-ing noises. Hermione didn't have time to think as a hand grabbed her right foot.

Fred was on the other end of her shoe. "Welcome back, Hamtaro, my lovely hamster!" Fred muttered wile he stroked Hermione's shoe. "Wait, that Ham-Ham is mine!" George muttered in his sleep. He grabbed Hermione's other shoe. Hermione giggled as the saw the twins slapping each other in slow motion in their sleep while holding her shoes. "Cha chacha cha," Fred said as he slowly slapped his twin. "Cho chocho cho," George said as he slapped his twin. Hermione slipped of her shoes and crawled over to her sleeping spot. She let her head fall to what she thought as her robes she used as a pillow. But instead, her head landed on Ron's side, right below his ribcage. As we all know, that's every body's ticklish part. Ron's eyes opened and he let out a laugh-choked yell. "Mummy! Ginny flushed Harry down the toilet bowl!" Ron yelled.

Everybody woke up at his first few words and laughed as they heard the rest. "Wait, I'm not in a toilet," Harry said. "Am I?" "Of course not, Hare," James said, ruffling his son's hair so it looked messier than ever. "James, I thought you gave up that hobby," Lily said, staring at Harry. "You look a lot more than a prat than you already were two years ago." She was obviously not a morning person. "Hello?" Harry asked. "Is anyone in there?" "There is but you should wipe off the words off your tie, James," Lily said, squinting her eyes. "But I'm not James," Harry asked as the real James fell to the floor laughing. "Then," Lily said. "Whoooo are you…..?" "I think you should let your vision clear up before you ay anything else," Harry said. "Hey, James, since when did you have the same eye colour as me? Oh my gosh, Harry!" Lily said suddenly.

Everyone burst out laughing again. Nagini, who was sitting by the wall he whole time, stirred in her disturbed slumber. She gave a snap at Sirius's leg but Sirius quickly dodged. Nagini ended up biting Sirius's chains and they broke. Sirius stared at his chains, surprised, for a few moments before tugging at Draco's shirt. Draco turned around and Sirius motioned to his broken chains. "Oh my," Draco said. 'How did you get free?' Draco mouthed. 'Snake' Sirius said. Draco got the idea and edged towards the gigantic snake. He gave it a swift kick to the head and it woke up with a start. She began to bite in random places before going back to sleep. Draco's chains were all broken but the cuffs remained. Sirius did the same as Draco informed everyone. Soon, everyone was free and they stood up. It was still midnight and they looked out the double doors. The guards were all sleeping and they walked cautiously out the room.

"This place looks familiar in a way," Hermione whispered. "Yeah," James said. "So familiar," Fred said. They walked to their left and they saw four golden platforms and four identical plates next to them. Glass was shattered and spread everywhere. Huge double doors were next to the platforms and they made their way to it. Before they walked out, Draco looked at the opposite of where they stood and slowly walked towards it. He traced his finder on a carving and turned around with a look of fear in his eyes. "What's up?" Danielle asked. "We're in Hogwarts," Draco said. "What?" Harry asked. "Watch," Draco simply said as he pressed the palm of his hand on the carving of a snake. He let go as the bricks moved and made an entrance in the wall. A golden door was on the other side and had the Slytherin crest painted on. The door swung open and a circular room was revealed. The wooden chairs and tables were still there and the fire was still flickering. "Behold, the Slytherin Common Room," Draco said. "But your Common Room was downstairs, in the dungeon," Ron said. "Fifth, sixth and seventh years get another room," Draco said. "But that's impossible," Hermione said. At that moment, something red glittered near the platforms. Harry walked cautiously to it and saw a ruby. He picked it up and saw the Gryffindor crest carved on it. As Harry carefully moved some pieces of glass out of the way, he recovered sapphires, emeralds and topazes. "Guys, come over here," Harry said. Draco sealed the door and followed the others towards the find of precious stones.

"These are," Lily said. "I mean, were the hour glasses." "I never thought he was serious," Draco said. "Voldermort, he said he would destroy Hogwarts and keep it as his own." "No," Elvira said. "Hogwarts was the most popular wizard school in the world," Nadia said. "It can't be gone." "It's not gone, it's just his," Remus said. "Come on, when we get them back, maybe we'll avoid this," Harry said. "Yeah, let's go," Sirius said. They slowly walked out of the once magnificently lit room and out to the grounds. Harry kept the ruby in his pocket and saw the burnt down Forbidden Forest. A gigantic carcass lay on the ground. "Since when did you have a giant in the Forbidden Forest?" Lily asked. "We had a giant in the Forbidden Forest?" Draco asked. "Grawp," Ron muttered. As they made their way down the path, they dreaded the condition of Hagrid's hut. Amazingly, it wasn't there. Where do you think it is?" Hermione asked. Harry sensed a feeling that someone was watching them and reached out his hand. Surprisingly, he felt cold stone. He traced the shape of the hut and felt a door. He knocked and it opened. A very angry Lucius Malfoy walked out of the invisible hut.

"Why so scared, son?" Lucius asked calmly, grabbing his son's arm. "He was supposed to be in Azkaban," Danielle said. "Run," Harry muttered. "What?" Sirius asked. "Run," Harry said, this time more loudly. Draco pulled himself from his father's grasp and they ran to the door to the left of the entrance of the Forbidden Forest. "Where does this path go?" Hermione asked. Snakes were let loose and began to chase them. "Don't care, just watch out for those snakes," Draco said. "Why?" George asked. "They're poisonous!" Danielle said. The path became rockier and the rocks became more jagged. They soon reached the edge of a cliff and feeling of deja vu hit Hermione. "Over here," Hermione said. She opened the trap door and fifteen phoenixes flew out of the trap door. Each of them grabbed a member of the gang and flew pass the cliff, over the ocean below.

The oldest and most withered phoenix flew beside Harry and reached out its head. Harry stroked Fawkes's head and smiled. "To the Ministry of Magic!" Harry yelled. The others followed and they made their way off in the sun rise. Fawkes reached out its tail and Harry plucked a feather. He shoved it in his pocket along with the stone and laughed the whole way to the Ministry of Magic as the phoenixes sang the whole way.

**(A/N: So, the escape route was there all along. And now, they are on their way to the end of the journey and the ending of this story is coming nearer. Sorry, but let's hope they get the right door to the Time Machine shall we? The ending will probably be five chapters away or a chapter or two less. Please review, pwease pwease pwease)**


	30. Alone in Oblivion

**(A/N: Read and enjoy. Don't forget to review)**

Harry could see the tops of buildings and as the sun rose higher, the street lamps began to switch off, one by one in a row. Harry saw a dark alleyway, nothing in it but a few cardboard boxes and a rubbish bin. Harry waved a hand in front of Fawkes before pointing to the alleyway. Fawkes gave a small screech, loud enough for the other phoenixes to hear but not loud enough for the residents to wake up to. All the phoenixes changed their direction and all of them made a safe landing on the alleyway. Fawkes screeched and flew away. The other birds followed him at breakneck speed, leaving three golden tail feathers on the pavement.

Hermione ran to the three pieces of fiery gold and picked them up. "We mustn't leave any traces of magic behind," she said once all three feathers are safely in her pocket. Harry nodded and walked towards a familiar red telephone box, which was missing several panes of glass and stood before a freshly white-washed wall. Obviously, someone had cleared away the graffiti. "Here it is, the entrance to the Ministry of Magic," Harry said, opening the telephone-box door. "I think there will be a slight problem, Harry," Ron said. "The last time we went in, we were all crammed up. And that was when there were six of us." "There are fourteen of us now," James said. "Good point," Harry said. "No need for points," Draco said. "Get in." "But," Sirius said. "A Room Enhancement Charm has been put on it last year," Draco said plainly. "My mum told me."

As they walked into the telephone box, one by one, they saw that the boot was wider than it appeared. Almost as big as the Gryffindor Boy's Dormitory on the seventh floor. "It is big," George said. "Okay, who's closest to the receiver?" Harry asked. "I am," Elvira said. "Okay, Elvira, dial six two four four two," Harry said. "Liu, er, se, se, er," Elvira said as she pressed the numbers. The technology has improved; instead of a whirring dial, there were numbered buttons. "Vot?" Viktor asked. "It's Chinese," Elvira said as she pressed the number two button. _'Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business,'_ the cool female voice said. Nadia took in a deep breath and said, "Harry and James Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron, Fred and George Weasley, Lily Evans, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Nadia Abdul, Elvira Tan, Danni and Draco Malfoy and Viktor Krum. We're here to return four Time Travelers back in time to prevent their son from disappearing, thank you," Nadia stopped to take a few deep breaths after the mouthful.

'_Thank you,'_ the cool female voice said. _'Visitors, please take the badges and attach them to the front of your robes.'_

Fourteen badges slid out of the metal chute where returned coins normally appeared. Elvira scooped them up and passed them around the telephone-box. _'Visitors to the Ministry, you are required to submit to a search and present your wands for registration at the security desk, which is located at the far end of the Atrium,' _the female voice said.

"Our wands!" Lily said, hitting her forehead. "We forgot our wands at the castle!" The floor of the telephone box shuddered and the pavement rose up past its glass windows; blackness closed over their heads and with a dull grinding noise, they sank down into the depths of the Ministry of Magic. "Well, it's far too late now," Remus said. Harry shoved his hands in his pockets and held on tight to a random object. He felt so frustrated and he was scolding himself in his head. 'Bloody hell, we forgot our wands,' Harry thought as they sank deeper into the ground. 'I'm so stupid. What was I thinking? Oh, I wish we had our wands right now!' There was a pop and translucent red smoke rose from an object next to Harry's left foot.

Harry looked down at the source of the smoke and saw Hermione's satchel. Red smoke was seeping from the opening and a few strips of wood peeped out from the part near the unzipped zipper. "Our wands," Hermione exclaimed. "Oh, Harry you found our wands!" Hermione snatched the bag and handed out the wands. "How did you do it, Harry?" Elvira asked, waving her wand to and fro, watching the yellow sparks trail from the tip of her wand. "I don't know, I just put my hands in my pocket and though about it I guess," Harry said. He took out his hands and found the Gryffindor ruby, clutched tightly on his palm. "The ruby," Harry said. "It granted my wish." "Well, you have to be careful of what you find around Hogwarts," James said.

A chink of soft golden light hit their feet and, widening, rose up their bodies. Harry bent his knees and held his wand as ready as he could as he peered through the glass to see whether anyone was waiting for them in the Atrium, but it seemed completely empty. There was no fires burning under the mantle-pieces set into the walls, but as the lift slid smoothly to a halt, he saw that the golden symbols continued to twist sinuously in the dark blue ceiling. _'The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant morning'_ said the woman's voice.

The door of the telephone box burst open. Harry and the gang rushed out of the box and continued to sprint down the hall. The golden fountain had been replaced by a golden statue of Albus Dumbledore. Harry didn't have time to read the words on the plate below as he rushed towards the golden gates, towards another lift. The watch-wizard was missing and so were the guards. Harry was suspicious, yet relieved as he saw the set of lifts. They continued their sprint, which slowly changed into a jog, to the familiar door that haunted Harry's dreams throughout his fifth year. They soon were standing right in front of the door. The door swung open and let the group in.

"The most important thing is we should never clo-" Harry began but was cut off as the door automatically shut on its own. They were left in a faint blue glow. The light was no more and the blue flames cast eerie shadows in the dark. But not for long…The circular room began to rapidly rotate. Someone grabbed Harry's waist of pure fear but Harry didn't bother to see who it was. Finally, the room began to slow down. "Lumos," Harry whispered. The tip of his wand lit up and a yellow glow engulfed only a range of a few feet around Harry. Harry saw to his surprise that the person to grab him was a petrified Draco Malfoy. "Yah!" the both of them yelled, jumping back from each other. They fell to the black marble floor with a thump and began to brush away non-existent germs from their own robes as the others laughed.

As Harry and Draco got up, they looked at the thirteen doors that stood before them. The rest of the group spread out and each took a door except for the Draco, who was left over without a door. "Okay," Harry said, excited. "One, two, three!" The group pushed open the doors with all their might. There was the slamming of doors and a slam of a person against a wall. Harry assumed someone had grabbed the impossible to open door and tried to get through. He didn't bother to look as he saw the magnificent marvel in front of his eyes. It was a glittering arch of gold; the sides were embedded with glittering precious stones and silver words that said 'Those who enter the Time Traveling Arch, beware. You might not like what you would find there'. Inside the arch, numbers in all symbols known to mankind floated around in the arch as the black and maroon marble-like texture swirled and flowed in the background. To the right, laid a circular table; light shone from the edges and maps of all the countries known to man and wizard flashes across the surface of the table.

"Wicked," the three Weasley brothers said as they stood behind Harry, staring at the contents of the room. There was a slamming of doors and the group rushed behind Harry. Harry walked into the room, surrounded by his friends. A screen was placed to the left of the time portal. A mixture of the colours of the rainbow flashed across it. Harry smiled at his parents and their two friends and they smiled back. Harry took out a feather and held it over the circular table as the Marauders hugged everyone and bid their farewells. They then stood in front of the entrance and looked at Harry. "Bye, Mum, Dad, Professor Lupin and Sirius," Harry said. "Bye!" The four of them chorused. Harry let the feather slip from his finger tips and fall to the table.

The numbers turned to a picture of Hogwarts, clear blue skies and green grass. They saw four people disappear in a flash of light beside a beech tree in the scenery. "That's your cue," Hermione said. "Take care, 'Mione," Remus said as he walked into the portal. "Don't follow a betraying rat," Harry said as Sirius nodded walked in. James and Lily hugged Harry. "I'm going to miss you," Harry said. "We'll always be with you, Harry," James said. "Always," Lily said. "Oh, by the way. What ever you do, don't trust wo-" was all Harry could say before someone in the background shouted, "Get them!". Voldermort was here. James and Lily jumped into the portal as quickly as possible. "Avada Kedavra!" someone said.

Harry turned around to see a jet of acid green light, making its way towards him. Small light green skulls lined the edges and sparks traced behind it like shooting star. It was getting closer and closer. Suddenly, it stopped in mid-air, centimeters from Harry's chest. Harry breathed in deeply as Voldermort stopped in mid-air as well. His friends turned around to look at the bewildered teen. Suddenly, a blinding white light appeared out of nowhere. At first, it was a speck of illumination, then, it grew bigger and brighter. Before Harry knew it, the background of Voldermort and his Death Eaters dissolved into the light and he was left in an endless stretch of white light. Oblivion is what Harry called it as he looked around for his friends. Hey were still there, thirteen of them, waving at Harry. Suddenly, Hermione was sucked away by an invisible force. She went backwards until she could not be seen. Then, Ron and his brothers dissolved. Viktor waved goodbye as he was dragged backwards. This continued with the others until Harry was left all alone, in the middle of Time.

**(A/N: Oh, wait; it isn't the end until I say so! Be patient and wait for the final chapter of this story and review while you're waiting! I may do a sequel, but then, maybe I won't. Tell me if you want me to continue with my fanfic)**


	31. Tears and White Flames

**(A/N: Sorry I took so long, guys. So, last chapter of this thingy. Enjoy until the last word. Sequel is in the making but it won't be out right away. I'm going on a writing hiatus for awhile but don't worry. I'll be back before this year ends. Sequel will come so, activate those author alerts!)**

Harry was dragged forwards. His body rapidly zoomed pass nothingness. Suddenly, Harry could see Hogwarts. He smiled as he came closer and closer. He looked at his feet and saw that his legs were disappearing, then, his torso, and then as his head was dissolving, Harry closed his eyes…

Harry was standing, side by side, with Hermione and Ron in the same deserted Hogwarts corridor. He looked at them, his expression confused. They only returned their confusion. As Harry turned around, he saw a very surprised Draco Malfoy. He was clutching a water balloon filled with a type of liquid and he just stood there, making no movement. "Déjà vu," Ron said under his breath as he looked around, touching the wall with the palm of his hand. "Hey guys," Ron said, turning his head and torso around. "I think we're back." He said this with a smile. "When were you gone?" Draco asked. "Oops," Ron said. 'He doesn't remember,' he mouthed to Harry and Hermione. Draco burst out laughing. "Gotcha there!" he said. "You little trickster," Ron said. Draco ran off down the corridor with Ron on his tail.

"Come back here, you ferret!" Ron said. Harry and Hermione shrugged and ran after them. "Now, why does that sound so familiar?" Draco called out to them. "At least we're not casting spells on you," Hermione said. Draco kept on running but he forgot one little thing, Peeves's practical joke. Draco tripped over the piece of string and Harry, Ron and Hermione tripped over him and the four of them were on the floor in a heap, laughing their hearts out. Peeves appeared and scowled at the laughing group. He flew away, through the wall.

This time, nothing appeared before them, no group of Marauders appeared before them in a flash of light. Nothing moved except the flickering flames of the torches.

"I guess, that's it," Ron said after a moment of intense silence.

"They're back safely," Hermione said, a smile forming on her lips.

"You met them here?" Draco asked.

"Yeah and this is where our adventure began and I guess this is where it'll end," Harry said. "Shame, I was really getting used to the whole thing."

They shrugged and went their separate ways. Harry, Ron and Hermione arrived at the Fat Lady's portrait and said the password. They walked in and smiled. Everything was back to normal; the fire was crackling, people were snoring and the portrait of the lion was in the corner, looking so inviting. Harry bid his friends Goodnight and walked into his room. There, he saw his four poster bed, alone in the middle and the wall of past Head Boys was still in the corner.

But now, a new face caught Harry's attention. It was a picture of James Potter, his father. He seemed very happy and he was holding up a Head Boy badge which glimmered red and gold. He was showing a thumbs up and Harry smiled. He lied down on his bed, smiling. He had, in some way, made his father more trustworthy, enough to become Head Boy.

_The next morning in the Great Hall…_

There was a sound of metal against glass. Professor McGonagall was standing up from her seat and stared at the conversing students, who at once, turned to face the teacher. "I'm sorry to interrupt your breakfast, but the New Year is fast approaching and I thought we should have a change in the style of celebrating," Professor McGonagall said briskly. "We have invited the foreign students from the Yin and Yang Institute for Asian Witches to show you the celebrating style of Chinese New Year. Please welcome them warmly."

The student muttered amongst each other at the mention of a performance. They've never heard of Chinese New Year but they hoped it would be the same as theirs, yet different in ways.

The great double doors opened and an elderly Chinese woman walked in, dressed in a long, pink silk Chinese dress. The end trailed behind her and she walked towards the staff table. The staff stood up and bowed at her. She nodded and stretched out her hand, signalling her students to come in. A gong sound echoed through the Great Hall, frightening some first years. Symbols crashed along the rhythmic sounds of Chinese drums making a sort of beat.

A group of young girls, dressed in different coloured Chinese traditional clothing **(A/N: Think, Mulan's clothes)** walked in. Some wore pink, some, red, and the rest, black and white. They walked gracefully and smiled at the boys, whose eyes and mouth were wide open. Their long, translucent scarves trailed behind them and gave a sort of glitter to the look. As soon they were standing in front of the whole Hall, the beat of the invisible drums and symbols grew faster. Their attention was drawn back to the doors. Seven girls briskly half-marched into the Hall. They were wearing tight, red pants and wore slippers. The shirts pointed at the shoulders and had a low cut, showing their red tube top underneath. The shirts were long, about around the knee, the shirts had side cuts until the waist and each girl wore a black sash around their waist. These girls' faces were more serious and concentrated. Harry saw a familiar glint of platinum blonde among the girls and nudged Ron.

The two groups stood in front and bowed at the audience. They lined up, side by side, and were surrounded by a ribbon of white fire made by the wands of two girls dressed in black and white kimonos. The ribbon formed a long, Chinese dragon and the fiery beast faced the students. It gave a realistic roar and circled the group of six girls. They twisted around and gave a high kick. The dragon backed away and roared. It edged back and the girls jumped and landed on two hands. Their feet were left in the air and, supported with their hands, they twisted and kicked the dragon. The dragon gave a roar that sounded like a laugh and advanced. The group of girls was on their feet and they jumped, high. They were three quarters to the ceiling of the Great Hall and they fell, their right foot extended. All kicked the dragon and the dragon fell back. It coiled around and the fire died out. When the fire was gone, a girl stood where the dragon was. She jumped up and got into fighting position. She had long, platinum blonde hair tied up in a silver ponytail and grey eyes. She wore a silk costume, similar to the others, but it was black and white.

"It's Danielle," Harry muttered. Two girls stepped from the group of six and got into position.

"Nadia and Elvira," Ron muttered.

The three sprang forward at the same time and practically flew to each other. Elvira was halfway from a punch, when Danielle grabbed the fist with fast reflexes. She turned around and twisted Elvira's hand. Elvira, instead of yelling in pain, jumped up and twisted with her hand. She landed in the other side and backed away. Nadia walked in and gave a kick with her right leg. Danielle grabbed it but Nadia twisted her body and her left leg was almost touching Danielle's face. Danielle bent her body backwards and the leg passed in front of her face.

Danielle quickly squatted down and stretched her right leg out. It swiped at Nadia's leg and was about to trip her but Nadia jumped. Elvira stepped back in and grabbed Danielle's leg. Elvira pulled it up and Danielle jumped up with it. She was left suspended in mid air by Elvira. Nadia landed on her feet and stood up. Elvira let go of Danielle and they were in a row, with Danielle in the middle. They bowed and the Hall broke out in applause. Danielle did a high back flip and Elvira and Nadia edged closer to each other. Danielle's left foot landed on Nadia's shoulder while her right landed on Elvira.

There were whistles and loud claps as this trick was done. The music subsided and the hall fell silent. The Yin and Yang student took their seats at each house table and their Headmaster sat next to Professor McGonagall. Professor McGonagall stood up and the hall fell silent. "We would like to thank the students for their performance," she said. "Especially to Nadia Abdul, Elvira Tan and Danielle Malfoy for their finale." There was an outburst of whispers as the students looked at Draco, whose face turned pink at the attention. Harry and Ron laughed at his expression as Hermione looked disapprovingly at them.

"All of you friends and family have been invited for a feast this evening," Professor McGonagall continued. "As Chinese New Year is a celebration of being with family as explained by my colleague, Madam Ling Yue." The Headmistress nodded at Professor McGonagall and the hall broke into more whispers. "You are all excused."

There was a shuffling of feet as the students emptied out of the hall. As they reached the outside, they immediately rushed towards their family. Harry grinned and walked away to a nearby bench as Ron and Hermione hugged their parents. Fred and George waved at him and Harry waved back. Harry sat down on a lonely bench and sighed. "Hey, why so glum, Harry?" a voice said. "Nothing much," Harry muttered, not bothering to look up. A bark like laugh followed. "Don't want to greet your own godfather?" the man said. Harry's face shot up. "Sirius!" Harry said, hugging his godfather. Sirius smiled and brushed away Harry's ticklish black hair. "Your hair's making me sneeze, Harry," Sirius said. "Oh, sorry," Harry said.

"No, I'm sorry. I didn't understand your last message to me," Sirius said. "I was released from Azkaban last year. They proved me innocent and put Wormtail in jail."

"Shut up, Padfoot," a man said. "You're scaring the boy." Remus Lupin looked at Harry and Sirius. "You're right, Moony," Sirius said. "Anyway, we have someone you might want to see." They backed away to the side and Harry almost jumped for joy at the sight of his parents. "Hey, Harry," James said, hugging his son. "Oh, Harry dear," Lily said, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks. She hugged her two boys and cried.

"This is how it's supposed to be," Sirius said. "Lily and James got away from Godric's Hollow just in time, Harry. Worst possible thing is you still got your scar and you're still The Chosen One as the other called you."

"It's okay," Harry said. "Everything's okay. This is a happy ending." He just saw Jason and Audrey wave at him, in centaur form. They were standing next to Firenze. They smiled at him and gave him the thumbs up.

But, what was that glint of black hair in the crowd? Viktor was there, with his parents and next to them was. No. It couldn't be. Rose Krum was staring at him. She smirked as her brother stared at Harry, as though non-verbally asking him for help. As though by instinct, Hermione, Ron, Draco, Danielle, Fred, George, Nadia, Elvira, Jason, Audrey and the grown-up Marauders turned to Rose. "Oh no," Lily muttered.

_All this time you were pretending, So much for my happy ending! – Avril Lavigne_

**(A/N: The last chapter of this story. My next story won't be coming out so soon. About a few months or somewhere around there. Going on hiatus for awhile. I need a break from fanfic, sorry, and until the sequel, activate the alerts. Thank you all for reviewing and goodbye, for now. See ya later!)**


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